Denial of the Heart
by ForeverInsatiable
Summary: With the jewel complete, can Inuyasha finally profess his love to Kagome before she leaves forever while his heart is in denial? Or will someone else get there before him? Jelousy will rule over all! InuKag
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One-Wolf Problems**

He watched as the dead leaves fluttered down from their dying haven, lightly resting on the browning grass of the seemingly deserted field. He closely monitored the girl of his affection as he was nipped by the cold of the upcoming fall. He dreaded autumn; it was the time when death is swept through out the land. Everything once beautiful and green turns brown and rots away. Food becomes scarce in the wild, diets change and tempers flare. But he would always have food waiting for him as long as she stuck with him.

His attention snapped back to the girl he was so cautiously following. His fluffy ears atop his silver cloaked face listening intently; searching for the voices of the unaware pair below him. He was poised on the branch, positioned to pounce on the mangy wolf if he were to try anything with _his_ girl.

Koga had interrupted the group once again that day, leading Kagome away from Inuyasha and the others to talk to her in private. Although Inuyasha protested against it, Kagome had walked off with Koga following him to a clearing out off hearing range of the rest of the group. Once the pair cold no longer be seen, Inuyasha bounded through the trees in the direction they were headed.

After stalking them a bit, Inuyasha had come to a halt up high in a tree overlooking the field that Koga had taken -what he thought was- _his _woman to. The hanyou watched intently as the wolf demon quickly turned to face the young miko taking her hands in his. She made no attempt to remove her hands from his grasp, causing the hanyou in the tree to grunt with discontent. _'Why did she never push him away?' _Inuyasha thought to himself. _'No wonder he keeps comin' around here. Someone needs to show him who's boss.' _Surprised that the wolf had not yet picked up his scent, Inuyasha continued to watch them.

Koga's grip tightened around her hands. No-matter how uncomfortable she felt around the wolf, she never rejected him. His professions of love flattered her at first, but enough was enough. She did not truly love Koga and she did not want to lead him on to believe that she did. She had to set him straight, and this was her opportunity to do so. Now that the Sacred Jewel was completed and in her possession she had to decide whether to stay in Feudal Japan or go back to her era for ever. And Koga had nothing to do with her decision; he was just interfering.

"Koga," she stated in a calm controlling tone, "I cannot do this anymore. I cannot keep running around with you, constantly making up reasons to decline your request to be my mate. I just-"

"It's that mutt face, isn't it? He is forcing you to say this. But if you just come with me he can't push you around anymore." Koga didn't really understand her point but at the same time was not about to let her go, especially to Inuyasha.

"No Koga," she was trying to stay patient, "Inuyasha is not the one making me say this, this is me Kouga. These are my words, not his." Kagome carefully removed her hands from the grip the demon had on them. Trying not to upset him she continued, "Koga, I truly wish that you find a mate that loves you I return, but that is not me. Besides, I have already kinda given my heart to someone else…" she stammered, turning her head away from him in embarrassment of her exaggeration. _'What am I saying?! I have not given my heart to Inuyasha, or at least not that he knows of. I am not truly with Inuyasha, but he is the one I love.' _

Koga was astonished at her confession, but he quickly snapped back to his normal self. "Its that half-breed, isn't it? Did you really think I would leave you alone with that mutt face? I am not going to lose you to him. Where is he? I'll kick his ass."

At that Inuyasha jumped down from his branch, revealing himself to the unsuspecting demon and miko he had been watching. "Did you call me for a fight, you mangy wolf?" Inuyasha's hand already reaching for the hilt of the Tetsusaiga.

"Sit boy." Kagome sighed, as she did not want Koga to get hurt. The thud to the ground plastered a sly grin on Koga's face. She turned to Koga before Inuyasha had a chance to get up from the ground, "Koga, please just go. Please, before Inuyasha tries to kill you again."

Koga turned his attention from the facedown hanyou to give a questioning glance to Kagome, "Until next time," he said grabbing her hands once more into his. With that he was gone, dust swirling up into a small tornado as he took his leave.

_'Even without the jewel shards in his legs he was still pretty fast.' _Kagome absent-mindedly thought before turning back to her upset hanyou.

"How could you let him go like that!" Inuyasha screamed at her.

"Sit boy." Kagome mumbled in a prissy tone while sticking her nose in the air and walking away from his fallen figure implanted into the ground.


	2. Chapter 2

**Yes yes yes, here is me second chapter! Now keep in mind that this is my FIRST fan fiction, so don't be too harsh. I am only in high school, so don't get on my case. If no one reviews I just might have to not post up any more chapters, cuz if no one is reading then there is no point in writing. And I hope u all like it! **

**Oh yeah, and _hanyou _means half demon in Japanese, and _youkai _means demon in Japanese, just so u know ur stuff.**

**Enjoy!**

**Only for Ramen**

Kagome silently approached the group sitting on the ground around a campfire. Inuyasha had his arms crossed, with his hands tucked inside his sleeves, leaning against the trunk of a tree. Sango was feeding the fire with larger sticks while Miroku was checking on the fish roasting around the flames. When the darkness began to overwhelm the sky Kagome decided to head back towards the group so they wouldn't worry about her. _'Not like Inuyasha would even care,' _she thought, _'what would it take for him to develop feelings for me?' _She couldn't help but release a sigh of disappointment at the realization that her love did not feel the same way about her.

Shippo leapt into Kagome's arms, "Where have you been?" he asked while wrapping his small arms around her neck as best he could. "You just came back all angry without Koga and stomped off. You didn't even tell us where you were going." Tears began to stream down his face, his voice becoming shaky.

'_He must have really missed me," _Kagome thought, hugging the young fox back.

"Inuyasha wouldn't even sniff you out," he mumbled, earning a death glare from the hanyou leaning against the tree. "Eek," Shippo whimpered while scampering across Kagome's shoulders; peeking out from behind her head.

Kagome returned the glare causing Inuyasha to jump onto a high branch of the tree he was leaning against. "It's okay Shippo," she reassured him, "I was just off at the hot springs, relaxing. I was just a little tense."

"What, did something happen between you and Koga?" Sango politely asked, looking up from the fire she was attending to.

Kagome shook her head, "No, Koga didn't do anything." The young miko came down next to the fire to dry off her wet hair. Sango nodded, acknowledging that she understood what the miko had said to Koga; she finally told him to back off. Shippo and Miroku however did not understand, but decided to keep their silence anyway.

"Fish is done!" Miroku exclaimed after a few minutes of awkward silence.

"Mmm, dinner," Shippo hummed, licking his lips with yearning for the roasted fish on the sticks in front of him.

"Inuyasha," Kagome cooed, "do you want some dinner? It's ready."

"Fish again?" Inuyasha grunted from his perch in the tree, already knowing the answer.

"You're right," Kagome called to him, "I need to get some more ramen." She tried to bait him down from the tree, knowing that he was still mad at her for her actions from earlier.

Although she could not see it, there was a small twitch in his ear at the word 'ramen'. When she had given up on him, thinking that she failed, he silently jumped down from the tree landing right in front of her. "Do you have any?" He asked with shame in his eyes for giving in so easily.

"No," she replied, "but I can go and get some. I just have to make a trip home-"

"Hmmph," he grunted turning away from her. He didn't want her to go back to her time and leave him here to suffer without her.

She knew his answer would be no; that he selfishly wanted her to stay with him than go back to her era. _'But why?' _She traveled back into her own thoughts, _'Why would he want me to stay here? We already have all of the jewel shards, so why does he not let me go back home? There is no reason for me to stay here. There is nothing he needs me for. Unless...unless he really does feel something for me!' _She self-consciously smiled causing Inuyasha to berate her further.

"What are you smilin' at, Wench?" It came out a little harsher than he expected, but he didn't let it show.

"Oh nothing," she said, still smiling. She wandered back to the fire for her helping of fish.

Kagome awoke during the night, she couldn't get back to sleep. She slowly began to pack up her things, thinking that maybe she could just slip into the well before anyone could stop her. Cautious of the noise she made she continued to roll up her sleeping bag and packed everything in her tattered and torn yellow pack of hers. _'I really have to get a new one of these.' _She thought to herself. She took one last glance back at her friends, no not her friends her family. She inched her way out of the camp on her tippy-toes careful of where she stepped. She swung her legs over the well, pausing to get a better grip on her bag. She plunged herself into the depths of the well, entering her own era.

Inuyasha emerged from the forest of trees surrounding the well; he had been watching her from the moment she awoke. He followed her to the well and watched her plunge inside. He had known her intentions when he noticed her packing her things without bothering to let them know what she was doing. He made it to the well before she did, leaving plenty of time for him to find a good spot to sit and watch her without being detected. She might not have demon senses but her miko powers were growing exceptionally fast, allowing her to feel the presence of demons.

He had not known it at the time, but his mind had decided to follow her into the well into her own time so that he could keep a watchful eye on her. He absentmindedly jumped into the well after her, a purple light engulfing his body, without hesitation.

Kagome had entered her house and made it to her room by the time Inuyasha emerged from the well house. He looked up noticing the light flick on, immersing her room with a blinding light, through the window to her room. He had to stop and think for a bit, what was he gonna do now? He followed her into her time without a second thought, but he hadn't actually thought of what he would do once he got there. Would he just watch her from afar? Or would he go up and try to talk to her? _'She would probably be pretty pissed if she found out that I followed her here. Maybe I should just stay down here and not bother her, she might not find out that I followed her.' _He didn't know what to do, he just didn't want to get into another fight with her, _'Why cant she just see that I'm not trying to fight with her. I love her, and I just don't want to hurt her. But she doesn't want me, no one wants a half breed.' _Inuyasha let out a sigh, slumping his shoulders he headed back for the well house.

Kagome flicked on the light in her room, blinking at the sudden wave of brightness invading her eyes. _'I wish Inuyasha were here,' _she thought, keeping her wishes to herself, _'we are never alone in Feudal Japan. At least here we could have some privacy, some alone time together. But it's not like he cares, he doesn't want to be alone with me, he doesn't even want me. Then why does he not like me coming home? Why does he not like me going somewhere without him? Why does he insist on carrying me on his back while we travel? Maybe, one day, he could love me the same way I love him.' _She cracked open her window feeling the rush of fresh air from outside. "Inuyasha," she whispered into the night.

"Inuyasha,"

He snapped his head back in the direction of Kagome's window at the sound of his name. It might have been only a whisper, but his dog-ears picked it up as though someone had whispered it right into his ear. He saw her shadowy figure looming in the window. _'She looks like an angel,' _he thought as he stared in awe at the beautiful girl surrounded by a heavenly light. _'She hasn't seen me yet,' _he noticed she was staring starry eyed at the moonlit sky, _'maybe I should surprise her,' _he pondered the thought for a moment before heading back towards her house. _'I can't just show up empty handed,' _he thought as he stopped dead in his tracks, _'I need something to give her, flowers or something.' _He searched his surroundings for something pretty and maybe something that smelled nice. He spotted a small patch of wild flowers awkwardly growing off to the side of the shrine's grounds. Carefully he plucked the biggest, most least disturbed one of the bunch and held it tenderly in his clawed hand.

Hypnotized by the moonlit sky, Kagome stared off into space before returning to reality; or at least her era's reality. She shook her head back and forth, attempting to shake away her daze. She stepped away from the window to face her lonely room. Her head swiveled back to her window at the sound of a thump landing on the windowsill. For a brief moment her eyes met Inuyasha's golden gaze before they both turned their heads away; a scarlet blush creeping onto their cheeks. The young miko's eyes wandered back to the hanyou in her window, her gaze falling to the flower cupped in his hands. She stared at it for a moment before he held it out to her, not even bothering to look at her.

"It's for you," he mumbled after she did not take it from his hand.

"For me?" She knew it was a dumb question and wanted to take it back the moment it escaped her lips.

He slowly turned to look at her, connecting with her dumbfounded eyes. "That's what I just said. Isn't it?" He tried to stay calm while pushing his hand closer to her, gesturing for her to take the flower.

She stared at it again, blinking at the sight of Inuyasha being nice to her. "Me? But why would you want to get me a flower?"

"Do you not want it then?" Some disappointment etched into his voice trailed by shame and embarrassment. _'Of course she doesn't want it, you idiot. Nobody wants something from a filthy half-breed.'_ Acknowledging his mistake, he turned to leave trying to avoid the dreaded words he never wanted to hear from Kagome.

"Wait!" Kagome grabbed his arm before he could leap from the window. "You got a flower for me? That is so sweet of you. Thank you Inuyasha." She stuck her hand out before him, accepting the flower he had for her.

"You actually want it?" He asked, surprised by her actions.

"Of course. I would love it."

_'She actually wants it! She is accepting my gift, a flower from me!' _He slowly placed the flower in her awaiting hand, expecting it to be a joke. But her hand stayed there, she accepted the flower. Upon receiving the gift, she brought it up to her nose, inhaling its sweet scent before directing her attention at the stunned hanyou still perched on her windowsill. She knew he was not about to move so she ushered him into her bedroom. After placing her new flower in the crease of her mirror's frame she opened her closet to retrieve some blankets and an extra pillow. Motioning Inuyasha out of the way, she laid down a thick comforter across the floor next to her bed adding a warm blanket to the top, throwing the pillow to the far side of the 'blanket bed'.

"You can sleep here tonight." She told him kindly, a smile tugging at the sides of her lips.

He stared at her for a while longer before looking down to the bed she made for him then back at her, confusion sparking through his amber eyes. _'She wants me to sleep in her room tonight? With her sleeping in it too?' _He wasn't sure that he understood what she was saying.

"Please," she attempted again, "it is gonna be cold tonight. Just sleep in here, you'll be warm." She didn't want to push him into something he wasn't comfortable with. "And I wont be alone." She added.

_'Alone? She wants me to keep her company?'_ He hesitated a moment before taking his place on the floor next to her bed. Kagome sighed in relief, then grabbed something and headed for the door. "Hey, where are you going?" He asked. Maybe it sounded a little commanding, but there was no way to take it back.

"I'm just going to get changed. Don't worry, I'll be right back." She didn't want him to worry about her. With that she exited her room to return in just a few minutes time.

When she re-entered her room Inuyasha appeared asleep. She tiptoed over to her bed, trying not to awake him. She flicked off her light and tucked herself in. "Goodnight Inuyasha," she whispered before sleep consumed her.

"Goodnight Kagome," Inuyasha whispered back, knowing that she did not hear him nor know that he had heard her.

**The end of my second chappie!!! And it came so quick… but yeah, if u have any questions or comments please send a review, they r much appreciated, it shows me I'm loved. It wont be to long before the third chapter is up, so don't hold ur breath!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hahaha! My 3rd chappie in just a few days! Yes!!!!!! I am soo good! **

**Catch Me if You Can**

When Kagome awoke from her sleepy daze she swiveled her head around the room, taking in the sights around her. She glanced at the ground next to her bed; reassuring herself that the hanyou was not still inhabit-ting her room. Her gaze fell upon the flower, daring to turn limp in the grasp of the mirror's frame. The memories of the previous night invaded her thoughts; not that she had forgotten the events, she just misplaced them during her slumber. A wave of joy and embarrassment finding its way to her heart; revealing itself across her face. Her hand delicately resting itself over her newfound smile, she fought back a giggle.

"What are you doing?" The girl sitting in the bed squeaked, turning her pink grazed face to the door of her room.

"Inuyasha," she let out a sigh of relief, "you scared me!" She carefully looked over the trim figure of the man leaning in her doorway. _'How long has he been standing there?' _She didn't bother to ask. Instead, she studied the look on his face. He did not look upset or flustered like he normally did, but instead he looked calm and almost…happy? _'But why would Inuyasha be happy?'_ Unintentionally, a confused look spread across her face like wildfire.

He couldn't help but frown down at her; _'what happened? Did I say something? Why does she look confused?' _Unlike the girl in front of him, he would not let his thoughts take him from reality. "Oi, Wench. What's up with you?" Her face almost instantly saddened, then in an instant, it switched straight to anger. _'Aw fuck.' _

"Sit boy!" The words seemed to flow from her mouth naturally. She didn't mean to 'sit' him, she was just so use to it by now: he would say something mean to her, she would get angry, 'sit' him, and trudge away feeling proud that she had won the 'battle'. Although she did not want to 'sit' him, she couldn't take her actions back now, and it _was_ a little funny; the sight of him face-planted into the floor.

She couldn't suppress the giggle that escaped her throat. The room echoed with the silent laugh, but she knew that his sensitive doggie-ears picked it up. Almost instantly, a mask of concern enveloped her face at the sound of the low growl emanating from the fallen hanyou. As fear poked at her senses, she frantically searched for a way to escape her room before Inuyasha could rise from his current state.

She leapt from the safety of her bed, landing in the doorway past the rising hanyou. She skidded out into the hallway, not even hearing him get up. She ran down the stairs, almost tripping along the way, while he trailed behind her. Kagome knew that he could easily catch her if he wanted to, but she was enjoying the thrill of their little game of 'cat and mouse'. She rushed from room to room, blindly running while constantly checking behind her to confirm her pursuer was still hot on her heels. Before she realized it, she found herself back upstairs and in her bedroom. Realizing she had no-where else to run, she spun-around just in time to come face-to-face with her captor. Within a matter of seconds, he had her pinned against a wall by her wrists, a scandalous smirk softening his intense composure. Now, when a smirk (especially a scandalous one) could actually _soften_ anything was beyond her. But all she knew was that Inuyasha could have seriously injured her; although, everyone knew that he would never do such a thing to Kagome.

All he could do was stare down at her grinning form, feeling a grin overcome him as well. Time seemed to slow down to a halt; the only thing keeping him in a reality check was the rise and fall of her chest, everything else was frozen in place. Eventually, her chest stopped moving as she held her breath just as he had been doing since he pinned her to the wall. His gaze fell from her sparkling eyes to her lush lips. Absent-mindedly he licked his own, wondering what she tasted like. His mind was bombarded with thoughts; the woman that he wanted, that he lusted after, was here, right in front of him. _'Should I kiss her? I've wanted her for so long, and she is here, in my grasp. I'm sure I would regret it if I didn't at least try. Wouldn't I?' _He didn't know. He normally wouldn't even think before he acted, but this was a delicate matter. This was about Kagome, _his_ Kagome. Without a second thought he ducted his head down to her level, pressing his lips against hers.

She wasn't sure whether to be stunned or relieved, but she knew she did not want to push him away; she had already made that mistake once before, early in their travels, he had attempted to kiss her but upon reflex she pushed him away, she still regretted it. She leaned her head into his, her body following suite, allowing him better access inside of her mouth. He deepened the kiss, their bodies melting into each other. His hands stayed firm on her wrists, but neither noticed, they were to wrapped up in the moment. His tongue teased her lips until they separated, allowing him access into her warmth.

He pulled away from her first, her eyes still closed, cherishing the moment. He smiled at the sight of her, so adorable and so fucking good tasting. Before she could react to the sudden halt of the kiss she had been so patiently awaiting Inuyasha nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck, inhaling the sweet smell of her hair. Soft kisses caressing her delicate neck was rewarded with a hushed moan from deep in her throat. Before anything could go any further the door to her room swung open, sending a wave of cool air from the hallway against their heated bodies.

Souta stood in the doorway, gaping at what he saw. In too much shock to say much he stuttered out a few words, "Uhhh, S-Sis? Umm," he gulped before there was time to say much else. Inuyasha swung off of Kagome in such a hurry that he almost fell backward. Kagome with wide eyes noticed Inuyasha about to leap out the window, she grabbed for the cloth of the fire-rat haori in attempt to stop him. To both of their surprise she actually succeeded in snatching the cloth, holding the scared hanyou in his place.

This time, it was Kagome's turn to gulp, _'How am I going to explain this to my little brother? What about Inuyasha? Is he just going to run away? Not if I can help it!' _"Souta, what do you want?" She shifted her position to have her shoulders straight with her head held high, attempting to look unaffected by the rude interruption.

"Uh," Souta didn't remember what he was going to say, "umm, oh yeah! You're gonna be late for school if you don't hurry up. Are you even going?"

"Oh crap! School. I totally forgot. Yeah, just give me a minute to get ready, okay?" She smacked her hand to her forehead, making sure not to lose grip on the hanyou she still held with her other hand. Souta nodded, letting her know that he understood before leaving the room.

Once he was out of earshot Kagome turned to hanyou she held a death grip on, "Inuyasha, I have to go to school today, but you can hang around here until I get back if you want. But you don't have to, you can just go back to the Feudal Era if you wanted." She was not about to bring up the whole scene that Souta got to witness, already thinking that she would need to kill him for interrupting later.

"I'm just gonna go…" Inuyasha didn't want to bring it up either, his stretched out finger pointing out the window towards the well house. At his words, he noticed her head go limp with disappointment in her eyes, _'She actually wants me to stay here? She's not mad at me?'_ "Oh, well I can stay here and," He wanted to stay; he just had to make sure that _she_ wanted him to stay.

"No! Just go! If you don't wanna be here then just go!" She turned furious, her face changing from porcelain white to beet red. She turned to storm out of the room when he caught her hand, slightly tugging her back to him careful not to hurt her. She whipped her head to face him, but instead of a harsh glare radiating from her he received a look of anguish and hurt. The bitter smell of unshed tears invading his nose, he pulled her back to him, folding his arms around her into a tight hug. She did not attempt to pull away from him, but instead fell into his awaiting arms. Tears stained the shoulders of his haori as they now flowed freely from her eyes followed by muffled sobs.

"You don't understand Kagome. I _want_ to be here, I just didn't think that you wanted me to." He didn't know what else to say; he did not want to enrage her, ruining another moment. He just gripped her tighter as her slender fingers entangled themselves in the fold of his haori.

Kagome rushed down the stairs in her clean school uniform, she needed to hurry if she was going to make it to school on time. She stumbled into the kitchen, reaching for a piece of breakfast that wasn't there. _'Damn! Mom must have already left for work. Now what am I gonna do for breakfast?' _There wasn't enough time; she had to be out that door on her way to school NOW. She slipped on her shoes at the door before attempting to open the exit to the outdoors. '_Shit!' _She had forgotten to get her backpack. She spun around to run back up the stairs when she noticed Inuyasha standing in her way with an undeniable smirk plastered on his face.

"Forgot something?" He almost laughed at his own joke, if you could even call it one. He held the backpack out to her, saving her ass.

"Thank you so much Inuyasha!" She grabbed for the bag when he swung it away from her towards him. She tried again, only to get the same result. "This isn't a game Inuyasha, I need that." She tried one more time before she ended up only inches away from him.

"Uh-uh," he teased her, shaking his clawed finger back-and-forth in front of her agitated face before letting it rest on his lips.

_'He wants me to kiss him?! At a time like this!' _She couldn't believe it, what a selfish bastard! No, he wasn't selfish, but still! "Inuyasha," Her voice was a sickeningly sweet tone that could only mean one thing.

"No, no!" This would not happen, not now! _'Fuck.'_

"Sit boy." At the sound of those words the rosary around his neck instantly yanked him to the floor. She swooped down to pick up her bag before skipping out the door towards her school. She would deal with the upset hanyou when she got home, but for now she had to focus on school.

**Yay!!! I posted all of my 3 chapters in one day! I feel awesome! I haven't even started my next chapter so it might take me a while to get it up, but b patient! And if u get restless just let me know, no hard feelings will b taken, hopefully…. But yeah, I'll work hard on it! Review!!!**

**And I love u all! Muah!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Now, someone said that I put everyone out of character, to those people who agree I am sorry. But I think that without some changes on their parts they would never get together, or it would be a LONG story. So yeah, I'll change them a bit but not much. And to the person complaining that they were ooc I just want to say f u! I would not b so mean about it if u had only been nice about the whole thing. And I do partially agree about the whole last part when he wouldn't give her bag back without a kiss, but that's not what it was!!! If u would just wait and find out what he really meant goddammit!! But I will explain here. Anyway, here my next chappie!!!!**

**Hojo-Hobo**

_'What a cocky bastard,' _Kagome thought as she walked along the street to her school, _'he was trying to get a kiss out of me! And right then! He deserved what he got.' _She was practically trudging down the street with rage when she heard a familiar voice (or voices).

"Kagome!" The squeals yanked her from her thoughts. She brought up her head to meet the gaze of three ecstatic girls bounding towards her. "Kagome. You're at school today!" It took Kagome a few seconds to realize that she was already in the front of the school. "What's wrong Kagome?" Ayumi asked. She seemed surprised by the question, _'why would they think something was wrong? I am at school.'_

"Yeah Kagome, you seem pissed." This time it was Eri.

"Does have to do with that two-timing boyfriend of yours?" Kagome was sure that Yuka would kick his ass if he did do something wrong.

"Oh! Is he back in town? I really want to see him again!" It was Ayumi's turn to jump back in.

"I wanna see him too!" Eri seemed more excited than Ayumi.

"But you two got to meet him twice! I've only met him once!" They had almost forgotten Kagome was still standing there, they were basically arguing with themselves. Then Kagome remembered that Ayumi had only met him once, Eri and Yuka had come over again when Ayumi was away on vacation. She had to do something to stop them.

"Yes, he is here." She said it so quietly that her three friends had to quite down just to hear her. "How about I have a sleep-over with you girls? You can all see him again." _'Hopefully Inuyasha won't mind too much: three squealing girls surrounding him. Sure, he won't care! He is soo gonna kill me.' _The invitation only shut them up for a moment before they went back to planning what they were going to bring to the sleepover.

"So tomorrow night?" Eri's eyes were gleaming with hope, wishing that this was no joke.

"Yeah, sure. Tomorrow night." Kagome just wanted to get out of their little triangle that she was currently wedged into. But once she escaped another voice halted her in her tracks.

"Kagome! Oh, Kagome!" She turned just in time to see Hojo jogging towards her. "Kagome, how nice it is to see you at school again. Feeling better I hope." It wasn't much of a question, but he seemed to be waiting for an answer. But all she could do was nod her head up and down while putting on a fake smile. "So, I was wondering," by this time her three friends had stopped arguing to listen to the conversation at hand, "I was wondering if you would like to go see a movie with me or something?"

Kagome's friends knew that she would never accept, so they intervened. "She would love to go!" They said in unison while pushing her towards him.

"Actually Hojo, I kind of have some company this weekend and…" Her friend interrupted once again before she could finish.

"We are all going to Skate World on Saturday! You should meet us there!"

_'What were they thinking?! We aren't going to Skate World, are we? And why are they inviting Hojo? What about Inuyasha?'_

As if they were answering her unspoken question, "And Inuyasha can come too!"

At first Hojo was happy that he would go somewhere with them, then his expression changed. "Who's Inuyasha?"

'_Oh shit. This is just great! Just great!' _Kagome didn't want to try to answer him, but she couldn't let her friends answer either. "He's uhh…He's umm…"

"He's Kagome's boy-" Ayumi was quickly shut-up by Yuka's elbow plunging into her side.

"He's the company that is over this weekend that Kagome was talking about earlier." Yuka finished.

"Oh. So this Saturday." Hojo said again while walking away from the girls, waving as he went.

'_What was her problem?' _Inuyasha had been pondering the possible answers since Kagome had left him on the floor, _'what did I do wrong? I just had her bag, and then I motioned for her to be quite 'cause I had a headache. What did I do wrong?!' _He couldn't figure it out. But he would just have to wait for her to get home from school, _'School, feh. What does she need it for? It just takes up her time. And I don't wanna wait, I'm gonna go get her now!' _ And with that he was out the door, jumping from rooftops towards Kagome's school.

The school day had gone by pretty smoothly besides her throbbing head being pounded with thoughts, _'Why was Inuyasha being so cocky? And why did he kiss me? And why does Hojo still like me? I must have turned him down at least 40 times already. And why did the girls just have to invite Hojo and Inuyasha to Skate World? Ugh, why does this day just keep getting worse?!' _She couldn't take it, she was about to explode, then the bell rang signaling school was over and she could go home. She rushed out of the school, attempting to avoid her friends and Hojo; but of course, her day just couldn't get better! As she exited the building someone calling out her name stopped her for the third time that day.

"Kagome!" This time it wasn't Hojo, but someone worse.

"Inuyasha! What are you doing here?! Someone could see you! You idiot! You should have just stayed home like I told you to!"

"What's your problem Wench?! I just came to get you from school! You were taking too damn long!"

'_At least he wore the cap to cover his ears,' _She was still outraged by his actions, and she knew she needed to get him out of there, and fast! "Quick, before my friends see us! Or worse…" She attempted to drag him away from the sea of kids emerging from the school's front doors. Before she could escape from sight, a voice caught her.

"Kagome! Oh, Kagome! Where are you going?" Hojo trotted after her, not even noticing the silver haired hanyou next to her.

"Inuyasha be nice. Just don't rip his head off ok?" She whispered through gritted teeth, she was not about to let Inuyasha make a scene in front of the whole school.

"Who's this?" Hojo cocked his head to one side when he reached them, looking like a baffled puppy.

The moment Inuyasha noticed the boy's interest in Kagome he swiftly wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her closer to him. "Who are you?" Inuyasha mocked him.

"This is Hojo. Hojo this is Inuyasha." She just didn't want them to get in to a fight, _'Why did Inuyasha wrap his arm around me?'_ "We have to be going now!" Kagome tried to pull her and Inuyasha away from Hojo while he was still confused, but neither boy would have it.

"Wait Hobo? That idiot your friends talk about?" Inuyasha shot the question more at Hojo then at Kagome.

"Actually, it's Hojo." Kagome could tell that Hojo was trying to keep calm as he stood up for himself in front of Inuyasha.

"Well Hobo," Inuyasha mocked again, pulling Kagome even closer to him, his arm still around her waist.

"Just stop it you two!" Kagome couldn't take it anymore, this had to stop. "I just wanna go home."

"Well then," Inuyasha glared daggers at Hojo, "maybe another time Hobo." And with that Inuyasha swung Kagome into his arms, leaping away from sight before getting to a rooftop where he could travel without consequence, leaving an awe-stricken Hojo watching after them.

**Yay! Another chappie in just one night!!! I hope they were in character just a little more, but I just felt that they would never get anywhere without a little push; in this case, a push from the author, me! If you have any suggestions just tell me, but don't be mean about it cuz I'll just be a bitch right back. And to those of you who don't review thinking "well I'm sure other people are reviewing so I don't have to" but u know what, U NEED TO!!!! Cuz I have only gotten two comments. Now I don't feel loved! **

**But I luv u all, Muah!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I am soo sorry yall! I got wrapped up in someone's fan fiction, it was around 50 chapters and I was so intrigued, I'm sorry. But yeah, here is my 5th chapter! Oh and I just didn't want to deal with the drama with Kikyo, she's just too much. So basically for my story she is already dead, I killed her Muahahaha! I am evil! But I hate Kikyo with a passion if u haven't noticed yet. Maybe in another story I will have her, but my heart is set in this story for the time being. So keep reading!**

**Silent Confessions**

He couldn't help but sneak a peek at the girl cradled in his arms; he had felt proud of himself for the way he protected Kagome from that 'Hobo' guy, but one look at her face told him that she felt otherwise. Her eyes were squinted shut as her brow was furrowed in deep concentration, or maybe like she had a bad headache. He directed his attention back to where he was going, although he could sense exactly where he was headed, he couldn't look at her anymore.

The silence between the two threatened to swallow them both whole; this caused Inuyasha to slow them down until they stood I one place, not moving. The young miko fluttered her eyes open at the sudden lack in movement. _'Why did we stop here? This isn't the shrine.'_

Seeing the confusion on her face, the silver-haired hanyou decided that this was his time to speak. "Kagome…" he wasn't exactly sure what he wanted to say to her. "Are you mad at me, Kagome?" He continued, hesitation seeping out through his faint voice.

"No…" Kagome attempted to look up at the hanyou, only to avert her gaze when she noticed that he was staring at her with concern written all over his features. _'Should I ask him?' _"Inuyasha," she started, still looking anywhere but at him, "why did you put your arm around me, back there with Hojo?"

"What?!" He was a little taken back by the question and acted out in rage.

She cringed at the sound of his voice, awaiting the upcoming fight.

"I just…" he almost immediately softened up trying to fight the blush creeping across his cheeks.

"You just what?" She asked him, finding the courage to look up at him, awaiting his answer. It probably wasn't such a good idea to pry at him so hard, but she really wanted to hear his explanation.

It was Inuyasha's turn to look away from her expectant gaze, "Nothing…" it came out with his sigh, she almost couldn't hear him. _'Why can't I just tell her? Why can't I just tell her how I feel?' _His thoughts were interrupted by her enraged tone.

"It's not nothing, Inuyasha!" She hated when he ignored her questions; he got away with it, until now that is. "What happened back there? I want to know! I want _you_ to tell me!" She pounded her small fist on his chest to no avail.

"I just," this time she knew that he would continue so she did not interrupt, "I saw how he looked at you, and how he talked to you, I saw how much he wanted you, and something in me just…snapped." He didn't know how else to explain it, at least not without revealing his true feelings about the miko in his arms.

"You mean, you were…" _'Jealous?'_ She did not realize that she had failed to speak the last word, that she only said it in her mind and he could not hear her in there. The rage had left her once he began to open up, but he didn't give her much to go on.

"I guess I was jealous." To both of their surprise, he finished her sentence. She gazed longingly into his golden eyes, but they were not focused on her, they were staring towards the ground. _'He's avoiding my gaze,'_ she realized.

They stood their like that, him holding her in his grip while avoiding her hopeful eyes staring into him, for a few moments before Inuyasha decided that it was time to continue on to their destination. Kagome did not protest against his choice to keep moving on, nor did she try to talk to him again.

Kagome was already tucked in bed for the night, unable to sleep in worries of what the next day would bring her. _'I wonder what Hojo will have to say about Inuyasha and me? I can't believe my friends invited him like that! Oh crap, and I still have to ask Inuyasha if he would even go to Skate World with us. It completely slipped my mind; then again, we didn't really talk much after we got home.' _She rolled over on her side, trying to get in a more comfortable position hoping that it would ease her concerns; it didn't help her. When she closed her eyes in a last attempt to sleep her mind flashed back to earlier that day…

_"Oh, you're home already!" Ms. Higurashi greeted the silent couple as they entered the kitchen. She turned her attention back down to the food she was cooking in a skillet on the heated stove. "Did you have a good day at school, dear?" Kagome's mother kept her back to them, not really expecting an answer._

_"It was fine," Kagome answered, lowering her voice to almost a whisper. Her mother knew something was up when she heard the tone of her daughter's voice. She glanced up from her cooking to try to read her daughter's expression; she found nothing._

_"Kagome. Are you ok?" She knew she was probably pushing her limits, but she couldn't help but be worried about her only daughter. Inuyasha watched as Ms. Higurashi stared quizzically at her daughter, trying to unveil the secret of her mood; of course he did not have to even look at Kagome, he could smell and feel her emotions: her pain, her anger, her confusion, and her doubts. Before her mother could ask again, she ran up the stairs to her room; he cringed at the bitter smell of her tears flowing freely down her face._

_"I didn't mean to…" Inuyasha tried to explain, he didn't want her mother to blame him, "she just…"_

_"It's ok Inuyasha." Kagome's mother assured him, "I know that you didn't do anything." She looked away from the stairs that her daughter just disappeared into to look him in the face. "Go after her." She stated, "She would want you to. You should go."_

_"But what do I say to her?" He looked back at the woman trying to help him._

_"Just tell her how you feel. It will work out for the best." She turned away from him to go back to making dinner. An unseen smile overcame her face as she heard the hanyou flee up the stairs towards Kagome's room._

_"Kagome…" he could hear her sobbing through the thick door between the two of them. "Kagome, are you in there?" 'What a stupid question! Of course she's in there!' "Kagome…" he eased open the door, being careful not to startle her. He peered into the room to see the miko curled up into a ball on her bed, face down in her pillow, clutching her knees up to her heaving chest. He slipped into her room, closing the door behind him, looking at her before approaching. He placed himself on the bed next to her and scooted himself back to that his back was propped against her wall with his legs crossed on her comforter. He noticed her breathing slowed as she tried to hold in her sobs; he couldn't stand it when she cried, 'why does she have to cry?' _

_They sat there, just like that, in an uncomfortable silence before she looked up to his form sitting upright on her bed. He was staring at her, but for once she did not look away, she just stared back at him. 'Why doesn't he just talk to me?' she thought, 'why does he hide everything from me? We have known each-other for three years now, and he still can't open up to me.' She was pondering what she could say to him when he decided to speak first. _

_"I'm sorry Kagome. I didn't mean to hurt you. Maybe… maybe I should just go." He drooped his head in shame, fighting to hold back his own tears._

_"Inuyasha…" she still hadn't thought of what to say to him, "it's not your fault. You didn't mean to. I over reacted; just like I always do… I'm so stupid…" it was her turn to sigh and turn away from him._

_"You're not stupid, Kagome. You're the smartest person I know, and…" 'So beautiful,' he couldn't bring himself to say the last few words; they were so simple, and yet he couldn't say them, at least not to her face._

_She gazed up at him expectantly, waiting for him to finish. When she finally realized he would not continue she budded in, "And what?"_

_'I love you! Why can't I just say it! I love you Kagome!' His mind was screaming at him, scolding him for keeping quiet. _

_She knew he wouldn't give her an answer, so she gave up. She crawled across her bed towards him, laying herself down next to the hanyou, laying her head in his lap. He looked down, astonished to see a raven-haired girl lying in his lap. He instinctively began running his clawed fingers through her tangled hair, cautious not to scratch her head. Not to long after, the girl fell asleep in his lap only to wake up an hour later to find herself alone. Her room was empty, no hanyou in sight._

_After that she couldn't get back to sleep, tossing and turning, thinking about Inuyasha. That led her to think about school, which led her to her friends, and then to Hojo, and then back to Inuyasha._

She opened her eyes to find that she had not been asleep, only thinking for a few minutes. She glanced around her room, making sure that she was still alone. She turned on her other side, trying to clear her mind, then came thoughts of Inuyasha again. "Ugh!" She grunted out loud in frustration, she just wanted to go to sleep! After another half-an-hour of arguing with herself she finally drifted off from exhaustion; her dreams were plagued with fears of the next day.

……………………

**Sorry for not getting it up sooner, I just went and saw "The Prestige" in theaters. It was an amazing movie and I recommend it for everyone. But yeah, I hope I explained things a little in this chapter, but before you flame me wait for the next chapter to explain some things, jeez peoples! But just to let everyone know, we only have a three-day week, so I should get up some more chapters quickly. But since Thursday is thanks giving I was wondering whether I should do a thanks giving special; like incorporate the holiday into the story. Tell me what you think so I can get working on it. And keep reviewing, it helps me a lot!**

**Luv yall, Muah!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for taking so long, I was packed with homework. I was expecting to put up at least three chapters this weekend, but now I doubt that I can. Since it's thanksgiving I am being ran around the house like a good damn pack mule! But yeah, I'll try. I do have A LOT of ideas for this story (they're kinda overwhelming!), so I am sure that it will be a very long story with maybe a sequel or two. But I also have ideas that wouldn't fit with this story, so I might trail off to write another one, which might slow this one down a bit. But I will try to keep up! Keep reading! And I wanted to remind everyone that I WRITE WHAT I WANT TO READ, so some people may be a little ooc, like maybe to sweet or romantic, but I don't care.**

**Secrets Exposed**

The school day had gone on especially well due to the fact that Inuyasha had not pushed to walk Kagome to school and she had yet to run into Hojo. Of course, she was expecting the worst, but for the time being she would try to have a normal day at the school she missed so much.

She sat uncomfortably in her desk listening to the other students chat about their plans for the weekend; they all seemed so excited 'cause it was the last period before they were free to go to their two days without school. As she listened to others she slowly went off in her own thoughts about her upcoming weekend: _'The sleepover tonight is gonna be fun!' _She thought sarcastically, _'Inuyasha is gonna freak and probably leave back to the Feudal Era. But how would I explain to my friends where he went? I can't let him leave. But then there was Skate World the next night. How would Inuyasha deal with that? He doesn't know how to skate, or socialize! And my friends invited Hojo. Why were they still trying to hook us up when they knew about Inuyasha? They all know that we're going out… or, uh…think that we're going out…. So why were they still trying to hook me and Hojo up?' _She stopped to contemplate her thoughts for a moment before it hit her, _'They think that Inuyasha is still an arrogant two-timing boyfriend!' _ It made sense to her now, why they invited Hojo; _'Then why did they invite Inuyasha to come too?' _She drove herself to confusion once again, not the best time to be in that situation.

A shrieking bell shook her from her thoughts, signaling that the bustling students were now free from the grasp of the school. She sat in her desk, watching and waiting for the knot of students to slowly unravel out of the classroom until the room was mostly empty; with an exception of a few clumps of friends staying behind to talk to themselves. After her things were packed up, Kagome left the abandoned classroom to head home; she needed to prepare for the sleepover that night.

Exiting the building, Kagome ran into her friends. Eri, Ayumi, and Yuka decided to walk home with Kagome since they already had the things that they needed for the sleepover. On the way back to the shrine, the three friends were showing their explosive excitement to see Inuyasha again, much to Kagome's dismay. Their high-pitched squeals were piercing her ears, giving her a massive migraine.

…………………………

She barged through the front door of the shrine, two slender fingers massaging each of her temples. She hurriedly kicked off her shoes before allowing herself to move along any farther. "Ugh…" She let out a groan when she realized how bad this night would turn out.

"Kagome! Wait for us!" The three girls hustled in after their irritated friend, also placing their shoes on the mat before entering the shrine any farther. After removing their shoes the girls noticed that Kagome was already trudging up the stairs towards her bedroom. "Kagome!"

She swung open the door after slowing down a considerable amount to allow her friends to close in the gap between them. "Oh! Inuyasha." Her voice softened at the site of the hanyou sitting on her bed, even if he did looked annoyed.

"Kagome! Where have you been all this time? I-" He practically sprung off of her bed in rage when he noticed that she was not alone.

"Inuyasha!" Eri shrieked. The three girls shoved Kagome aside to approach Kagome's _'boyfriend'_. He backed away instantly at the rushed attempts to greet him, or worse, _hug_ him.

"You are just as cute as the last time I saw you!" It was Yuka's turn to _'compliment'_ him.

"No, he is even _cuter_!" Ayumi had only seen him once, so she couldn't be blamed for her outspoken comment.

"Kagome? What's happening? Am I missing something here?" Inuyasha questioned while being backed against a wall while not daring to take his eyes off of the approaching girls.

Kagome sighed as she stepped forward to pry the girls away from the frightened Inuyasha; she couldn't blame him though, her friends were kinda scary. "Inuyasha, this is Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi, my friends from school; I'm sure you've met them before. And girls, I don't think that I need to introduce you." She moved between the cowering hanyou and her ravage friends, easing some of he tension in the room. "We're having a sleepover tonight. I thought that I told you that." She had explained what a sleepover was to the hanyou before hand so he wouldn't ask any questions. _'This is gonna be a FUN night!' _She thought sarcastically. **(this sounds familiar!)**

…………………………

The four girls sat in a circle on a bed of sleeping bags, blankets, and pillows centered in Kagome's bedroom. Inuyasha had retreated, more like forced, into Souta's room to play video games after getting reacquainted with the miko's friends. The girls had a mountain of popcorn between them with their own individual drinks at their sides, talking about school and boys, and then the conversation took an unexpected turn.

"So Kagome," Yuka questioned the miko with an evil grin spread across her face, "how long have you known Inuyasha again?"

"Umm, I haven't really thought about it." Kagome placed her finger on her chin as she looked up to her ceiling as if expecting the answer to be up there. "I guess it has been a little over three years now. I met him on my fifteenth birthday, and now I'm eighteen; so yeah, that sounds about right."

"And how far have you to gone?"

"W-What?!" Kagome was a little taken back by the question. "We haven't _gone _anywhere!"

"But he's your boyfriend, Kagome. Isn't he?"

"Well, uh, yeah…I mean…uh…no…"

"Well? What is it? Boyfriend or not boyfriend?"

"Umm…" She was trying to buy time to think of a good come back. Finally she settled on a decision, "I have something I want tell you guys," she began as she relaxed her shoulders a bit. "I've been meaning to tell you all for a really long time now. So, do you all remember all of the times I was sick? Well, I really wasn't sick…"

…………………………

After a very long explanation of her travels through the well and her times in the Feudal Era and quite a few questions Kagome stopped to take a breath and allow her friends to let the information sink in. Of course at one point she had called Inuyasha back into the room to show her friends his ears and to have him back up her story; at the moment he was still in her room, listening to the story Kagome was telling.

"Are you guys ok with this? Like you don't hate me or anything?" Kagome was afraid of the answer she would receive and flinched at the sight of her friends just gawking at her.

"Wait a sec! So you're a reincarnation of an ancient priestess from 500 years ago and you are an inu-hanyou also from 500 years ago? And you have been traveling through this well thingy back to Feudal Japan to find these '_jewel shards_' while fighting demons? And then this priestess, that you were reincarnated from, was brought back to life to get Inuyasha back, but she died after this _Naraku_ guy was killed? And now you have the **real** _Sacred Jewel of Four souls_ in your possession? Kagome was actually quite surprised that Ayumi actually caught all of that information, but she only nodded in response.

"If you want some more proof I can show you." Kagome thought that if she let them watch her go through the well and back again then they might believe her more.

"Why don't you just bring Shippo back. I'm sure he'd _love_ to come here again!" Inuyasha suggested, putting emphasis on the 'love' part to make his sarcasm more obvious.

"That's a great idea, Inuyasha!" The miko exclaimed; she did not mind that he was being sarcastic.

"Who's Shippo?" Eri seemed a little confused.

"Oh! He is a fox demon! He's really young still and I kinda adopted him." Kagome didn't know if her friends would understand and became concerned.

…………………………

The night was not as bad as Kagome expected it would be; of course she had let her friends watch her go through the well and come back out with Shippo before things calmed down. She had been bringing Shippo through the well to her time for a year or so by now; she would let him roam the shrine and play video games with Souta. They were not sure how it worked, but somehow Shippo was allowed to go through the time portal as long as he was with Kagome, and he enjoyed it! Now the girls were back in Kagome's room as Inuyasha and Shippo occupied Souta's room across the hall.

"So, what do you guys want to do now?" Kagome was satisfied that her explanation of the Feudal Era was taken so well by her friends; but now, they had nothing to do now that the all questions were answered.

"We should play a game!" Enthusiasm radiated in Eri's voice, she seemed determined to do something fun.

"Like what?"

"Do you have…Twister?!" It might not have been the best game, but Eri did have a point; the guys could play with them too, getting all tangled up together.

"Lets go set it up!" Now Kagome was convinced that this was a good idea along with the chance to get closer to Inuyasha; whom she explained was not really her boyfriend, but that she just really liked him.

…………………………

The board was set-up on the floor downstairs with four girls and a hanyou standing gently on top of some colored circles printed on the mat. It didn't take long to explain the game to Inuyasha, so they got started pretty quickly. Shippo and Souta were observing the game from the comfort of the couch noted as designated refs and spinners (to find the next move).

"Right foot red." Souta exclaimed from his position on the couch, letting Shippo observe the teens playing. Everyone put his or her right foot on red with no trouble at all. **(duh)**

"Left hand yellow." Souta called out again. Once again, everyone placed his or her left hand on yellow.

The game had gotten interesting only five moves into the game, people already twisting and bumping into others; of course, Inuyasha and Kagome were more flexible from fighting demons in the Feudal Era of Japan. On only the 11 move Ayumi had fallen from her stance, taking Eri down with her. But they were not upset; they just fell into a fit of laughter before calming back down enough for the game to resume. Move 18 and Yuka finally slipped out from under her own feet and collapsed onto the floor, leaving only Kagome and Inuyasha on the mat.

"You two are good!" Eri complimented the two left survivors while sending a wink in Kagome's direction.

The gesture itself almost sent the miko crumbling to the floor, but she caught her composure and set her attention back to the game at hand. The miko noticed the position her and Inuyasha were in and began to blush; one of their legs were wrapped around the other's and Inuyasha had bent over her body to reach his left hand on a red dot over her. She noticed that she was in a crab stance so if he were to fall he would fall on top of her stomach pounding her back into the ground. At this thought her face turned an even darker shade, if that was even possible.

"Left hand green." The next command yanked her from her thoughts as her body attempted to move her left hand to the green dot next to her head. With the last move she was now very comfortable; both of her hands were on green while one leg was on red while the other was on blue, it might just be better if she could flip into a bear position facing the floor instead of the ceiling. Her comfort level dropped as Inuyasha switched his left hand to green placing his body directly over hers, their faces merely three inches apart. It was the first time she got a glimpse of the blush across his own face before she desperately looked over to her younger brother for the next move. He just glared at her and smiled with an evil glint in his eyes, he was going to let her stay like that for a while longer to pay her back for not letting him play with them.

She let out a little whimper before looking back up at the hanyou outstretched over her; he too now had a grin plastered on his handsome face. _'Oh shit!' _she thought, _'what is he gonna do now? Will he pay me back for all of the 'sits' that I gave him? Oh crap! This is not good!' _He just continued to smirk at her, not wavering by her sudden fear of him. "I-I-Inuyasha?" She managed to stutter out. "What are you gonna do?"

"Kagome…" He breathed out before letting his head fall so that he could whisper directly into her ear, "you smell soo good."

"W-what!?" She stammered; this did not sound good, he never gave her compliments before. But before she could open her mouth to ask for help from her friends Inuyasha had brought up a clawed hand and lightly tickled some of her exposed skin right above her right hip. She let out a giggle before hitting the soft ground beneath her.

"I won." Inuyasha stated matter-of-factly; but he did not lift himself onto his feet, instead he loomed above her fallen form.

"But you cheated!" Kagome pointed an accusing finger at the figure over her.

"Oh really? Is that what you think?" He nudged playfully as he tickled her side again sending her rolling across the floor in an attempt to swat away his hands.

…………………………

**Okay! 6th chapter done in one day, with only a few interruptions. I decided against putting thanks giving into the story, but I'm thinking about putting Halloween in there. Tell me what you think or if you have any suggestions for future events you would like to see happen. And I promise that next chapter will be up by tomorrow or Saturday, and some drinking games will be featured in this next chapter. Review and enjoy!**

**Luv ya all, MUAH!**


	7. Chapter 7

**I had a lot of time to type this chapter because my dad bought a new modem and the airport is now not working, meaning that I cannot get on the internet unless I am directly connected to the modem (which I am not!). So I am sorry if it gets up late, but I might just have more time to write more chapters; so I could put up more than one. WARNING: drinking and alcohol will be present in this chapter; actually the chapter will practically revolve around it! You have been warned. Read and enjoy!**

**Me, Drunk?**

The Twister game had long since ended after a second and third round; Inuyasha winning the second round by the same tactic, and Kagome winning the third round by seductively grinding herself against the hanyou causing him to fall from shock. Once again the four girls were huddled together in the center of Kagome's bedroom while the guys were in Souta's room. The girls were practically rolling around on the floor exploding with laughter from the events of the Twister game that was previously played.

"And then…you…did that…to…him!" Yuka spat out between breathtaking laughs.

"Well…he cheated first…! What…was I supposed…to do!" Kagome gripped her side as though it would split open from laughing.

"But…you teased him!" Ayumi accused.

"I didn't tease him!"

"You're right." Yuka stated. "He liked it too!" Everyone began to crack up even more than before, if that was even possible.

"What!" Kagome protested after a fit of laughter. "He did not…I mean… I didn't…I just…he didn't…" The miko wasn't laughing anymore; she was shaking her head trying to organize her thoughts.

"Oh he loved it! And so did you!" Ayumi broke back into laughter at the look on her friend's face. Kagome was blushing furiously at Ayumi's comment about her and Inuyasha; she knew it was true, but she denied her feelings as much as she could.

"I have a good idea." Eri spoke up, "why don't we get some Vodka." It was more of a demand then a question for consent.

"Kagome, go get some! It'll be fun!"

"Ok," Kagome sighed while pulling herself of off the floor, "I'll be right back." She twisted the knob on her door so slowly that she was afraid it would never open; she pulled the door into her room before slipping out past the wooden frame into the shadowed hall, carefully closing it before tiptoeing her way to the stairs.

She managed to make it back up the stairs and safely in her room without disturbing the boys. Every girl grabbed a small plastic shot glass, shoving them under Kagome's nose in anticipation; waiting for their glass to be filled.

The pungent smell of the recently opened Vodka pierced the miko's nose, causing her to cringe. She was having second thoughts about this, hoping she wouldn't say anything that she would later regret. Holding her filled shot glass to her lips, she glanced over at her friends who already gulped down their share. The looks on their faces made her pause for a moment before tilting her head back and pouring the vile substance into her open mouth.

…………………………

Everything was spinning and swirling together, she was spinning. Colors became blurry blobs as she struggled to focus her heavy eyes; sounds meshed together, growing further away before slapping her in the face a second later. Her memory was growing fuzzy as she felt that she would fall over to sleep, or maybe it would be out of boredom. Someone playfully hit her arm, but the feeling didn't hit her until after the hand was taken off of her. She could hear someone mumbling, maybe they were talking to her; and then, she noticed that she was the one speaking. "What am I saying?" The miko slurred out.

The people around her just laughed, or are they laughing? She wasn't sure anymore. "You just said, that I just said, that you…!" A girl was pointing a wavering finger at Kagome's face; she wasn't speaking very clearly, or maybe Kagome wasn't hearing clearly.

"What are you talking about?" She whispered to them in a daze.

"You! Your face!" More laughing.

"Your face!" The miko countered angrily.

"Inuyasha and Kagome, sittin' in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Someone sang out before sputtering with laughter.

"Hojo will be so sad…"

"Hobo can go screw himself! I love someone else." Kagome crossed her arms over her chest in a huff. Yet she was confused as to why she said that, or as to _how_ she even said that without laughing or crying or stuttering.

"Kagome loves Inuyasha!" The girls chanted. _'They better be whispering,' _Kagome thought to herself, _'I don't want Inuyasha to come in here. Or do I?'_

"Oh Inuyasha!" Someone was calling for Inuyasha; someone wanted him in that room.

"Shh," Kagome stumbled forward to place her fingers over someone's moving lips. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm getting your lover." The girl stated while swatting the miko's fingers away from her mouth. "I'm sure he would love to see you drunk. I think you two need to have a chat, about your relationship and all." Everyone burst into sputtering fits of laughter except for the miko and the speaker. "Oh Inuyasha!" She cooed again, this time dodging Kagome's attempt to shut her up.

_'Drunk?' _Kagome thought, _'we drank? When? What? Are we all drunk? Is that why I feel like this? Wait! They're still calling Inuyasha! If he sees me like this, I don't know what I would say. What if I said something that I would regret? I have to stop them!' _Kagome lunged at her friends, attempting to quiet them down before someone would hear them. Not like they weren't allowed to be drinking; just they were drunk, and they would say and do weird things. _'I hope Inuyasha didn't hear us!'_

…………………………

**Originally I was going to write this chapter out longer, but I feel that I have held off for too long and I need to post something. So the next chapter will be the rest of this night, except drunken strip poker is involved with a certain hanyou barging in on them! The chapter after that will be skate world. You must remember that in Japan they do not have a drinking age; or at least it is a VERY low one. So they can legally drink. Some peeps might think that I was overreacting the drunk thing that Kagome goes through; but think about it first, this is the first time Kagome has ever been drunk, and I think she would exaggerate a bit. And remember I am trying to keep Japanese words to a minimum; but if I need to put a little dictionary in each chapter just tell me. Next chapter I will explain some more things, so just wait! Review!**

**Luv ya, MUAH!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Ello all! I would first like to give a special thanks to all of my faithful reviewers: **

**Psycho-Sango (I love u for sticking with me since the beginning!)**

**13hanyou girl13 (your impatience is well appreciated)**

**supersillee06 (don't die just yet! You must read first!)**

**WineIXI (of course Inuyasha da man!)**

**Neco in a Parka (see ya at school!)**

**TamerofDragons (need anymore help? Just ask)**

**Now, back to the story!**

**No More Shirt**

Quite some time had passed since the beginning of their little '_party_'; hours maybe, but who was counting? Brown eyes rose and fell to meet the wandering gazes of others, desperately searching to get a peek behind the masks of blank features. Sweat beading off of her body, eyes frantically sweeping from person to person, pressure to hurry and make her move; time wasn't helping either, it just crushed her until she was unable to breathe.

"I'm in!" She spat out the two words, her mind not completely made up, still dreading the outcome.

"What was that you said?" Her friend teased her, "you're in. Are you sure?"

"No I'm not sure!" She couldn't hold back the explosion, "but I can't take it back now!"

"Ok then," Yuka continued, rolling her eyes as she spoke, "lets see what you have." Everyone drove their attention towards the shaky miko in anticipation of what she held. The stares almost killed the miko as she slowly, very slowly, revealed the contents of her hand, purposefully torturing her friends by feeding their curiosity. The entire time Kagome's eyes never left Yuka's face, looking for any change in emotion that might give her friend away. A spark went off in front of the miko; a glint of hope flooding Yuka's eyes, a grin tugging at the corners of her chapped lips. _'Oh shit!' _Kagome's mind screamed for her attention. _'This is not good!'_

"Ha." That was all Yuka had to say to reveal the upcoming events, to reveal Kagome's failure. Yuka placed the pair of playing cards that she had been gripping for the past 12 minutes face-up on the table for everyone to see.

A few gasps invaded the miko's ears before Yuka spoke up again. "Ok Kagome. Take off your shirt." Her voice was flat and confident, earning a glare from the flustered miko sitting across from her.

"B-But-but, that's not fair!" Kagome's protest went unheard.

"I won fair and square. The shirt is the price you pay. Now take it off." Yuka glared at her stunned friend while crossing her arms across her chest.

"Grr…" A growl escaped Kagome's throat before attempting to pull off her shirt. When her friends were about to ask her if she needed help, the shirt went flinging across the room, crumpling as it hit the wall and falling to the floor in defeat. A frown settled on Kagome's features as she glared at Yuka's smirk, _'She might have won this time. But I will get her next time. I will.' _Kagome trudged through her thoughts, trying to plan out some form of revenge she could have on her friend for stealing the only piece of clothing that covered the young miko's upper body, besides her bra.

'_I'm so glad Inuyasha isn't here. I wonder how he didn't hear us though, when the girls were calling out to him earlier. Oh well. It's better that he's not here to see me like this.' _She was shaken from her thoughts when her exposed body shuddered from the breeze seeping through her open window, but she was to scared to get up and close it; the effects of their game of strip poker sinking in, drunken strip poker no less.

"Aww, is poor Kagome cold?" Yuka teased while she pouted out her lip as if she were talking to an infant.

"Oh, shut up!" Kagome snapped back, still struggling to keep herself from shivering while hugging her arms around her bare body, her lacey bra the only thing keeping her from being indecently exposed; then again, it was just her friends. Thankfully she hadn't bet her pants; otherwise she would have had to tackle someone to keep everyone from noticing her burning cheeks. Everyone just laughed.

…………………………

His ears swiveled towards the closed door at the sound of laughing, or that's what he thought it was. _'That's coming from Kagome's room,' _his thoughts swallowed him whole once again, _'I wonder what they're doing up so late?'_ His attention turned to the clock as the red numbers glowed _2:47_. Kagome had taught him how to read time a long time ago so that he could keep track of when he should expect her home or when she would have to leave for school in the morning. And he knew for sure that Kagome was normally asleep long before the clock would read _2:47_, he knew that it was a very early time and that for humans from this era it took a hard struggle to stay awake this long. So why were they still up; and laughing none the less? He thought that he should find out.

He creaked open Souta's door to step out into the dark hallway, careful not to disturb the kitsune and boy. He made his way across the hall to end up in front of Kagome's door. He pondered his options of what he could do now that he was there, right in front of the entrance to her 'world'. He had learned that bedrooms were a private place and that he should never barge in without consent; he learned this the hard way. He was about to barge in anyway as the laughing continued, but a voice behind the door caught him.

"So Kagome… You don't want me to call your _lover _in here?"

Inuyasha did not know who was talking, but he knew that whoever it was, they were teasing Kagome, _his_ Kagome. _'What does she mean 'lover'? Who is she talking about?' _Inuyasha felt the familiar rage of jealousy creeping upon him; his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides.

"I'm sure he would want to see you like _this…_" The taunting voice continued after an answer was not given.

"No! No, no, no! I don't care what he wants. At least not right now…" This time it was Kagome's sweet voice, but she sounded cold, or embarrassed. _'But why would she be embarrassed?' _

"Oh, come on! All I have to do is call him in here right now and then you two could make _sweet love_!" This time it was a different voice that teased the miko behind the door. But Inuyasha didn't even notice the sarcasm in the girl's voice before his body pulsed with a jealous rage, _'No one will make 'sweet love' to my Kagome! No one!' _His senses screamed at him to do something before this 'action' took place. He reached for the door to rush inside the chatty room; if only he waited for the next words to come from the miko's mouth, maybe he would have had to time to stop himself.

…………………………

"Not without my shirt on!" She barely had time to get her sentence out before the hanyou came crashing through the door, spicing up the heated party that took place within those walls.

Kagome gasped at the sudden rude entrance made by Inuyasha, totally forgetting about her missing top.

"Speak of the Devil…" Someone whispered.

Kagome didn't have time to react to the disrespectful manner, although she knew he meant no harm, she watched as Inuyasha amber eyes wandered her body up and down, widening at the sight of her. His mouth open as if he were about to drool over her.

"Ka-Kagome…" He managed to stutter as his gaze stayed locked on her exposed body, no matter how much he tried to look away, no matter how much he _knew_ he should look away.

Kagome finally lowered her gaze from the stunned hanyou to her own body; she just sat there on the floor, her legs folded under her while her arms had fallen limply to her sides long ago resting on her bare skin. She realized that she only wore a skimpy bra to cover herself from the hanyou's wandering eyes. She quickly wrapped her arms around herself before practically screaming her next words, "SIT BOY!"

…………………………

**Oki-doki! I know it is kinda short, but bare with me! Next chapter will be Skate World. What will Inuyasha do to Hojo? And what will Hojo do to get Kagome's affection? Who will her friends help out? Lots of fun questions to be answered! Yay! Any questions just ask me. And _kitsune_ means fox demon in Japanese. But if you have any suggestions for the next chapter, or the whole story just let me know! And reviews are much appreciated!!! Also, I am thinking of and idea for a new fan fiction; go to my profile and read my description about it, please tell me what you think about it. **

**Luv ya, MUAH!!!**


	9. Chapter 9

**!!!!!!!!!! IT'S MY BIRTH DAY !!!!!!!!!!**

**Sorry for the delay! I started another fanfic (which you should all check out!) and also I have this big Romeo and Juliet thing for English. Not to mention I got my phone taken away for not doing a project for health. But now I am back. I would like to tell everyone to go and check out my good buddie, Psycho-Sango, stories! She has a new one up that she JUST started, yea! But go check her out. And also, I want EVERYONE to go and read my most favoritist fan fiction EVER! It is called "To See You Again", it is by Sartha Anne Rose, and it is on m favorites list. But everyone should check it out, it ROX! On with my chapter, this will be skate world!**

**The Rose**

They were already inside the skating rink; the pungent smell from the entrance hall still clung to the hanyou's nose. He was shaking his head back and forth, silver hair flailing wildly about, attempting to rid himself of the wretched smell. His ears were not as affected as usual: between being compressed beneath a hat and being plugged with some ear plugs that Kagome had found him, most of the loud music was muffled. He would still hear the music and voices surrounding him, only the volume would be decreased from his original hanyou senses.

"Inuyasha, are you alright?"

He ceased the shaking of his head at the sound of her soothing voice, staring blankly into her worried eyes. "Keh. I'm fine!" He was not about to give in to her charm so easily. She had just about 'sat' him to hell the night before when he barged in on them, although he was still not informed at what they were doing or why Kagome was missing her shirt. And after that incident she had the nerve to ask him to go to this 'Skate World' with them, and when he refused, his face was plunged into the ground at his feet.

"Oh look! There's Hojo." Ayumi spoke up, pointing in the direction of a young boy no older then them.

"Hojo, over here!" Eri called to him while waving her arm in the air to catch his attention.

As the boy approached them, Inuyasha let a low growl escape his throat, he recognized him from the other day at Kagome's school.

"Kagome, it's so nice to see you!" Hojo made to move towards the miko, but a certain pissed off hanyou stepped in front of him, blocking his path. When the growl reached Hojo's ears he quickly spun around to face Kagome's trio of friends. "Girls," he greeted them, passing off a small bow; but he did not dare turn back to face his beloved Kagome, in fear of the silver-haired man ripping off his arm.

…………………………

He didn't want them on anymore; he was fed up with them. He swore that his feet were being suffocated, but he knew that he could not remove them. _'Kagome would probably 'sit' me again if I did take them off.'_ He was not angry with her though, he was more angry at these things they called 'skates'. The hanyou was now used to wearing shoes—having traveled around in this era for the better part of three years, he kind of had to learn to get used to them—but he had never worn, nor thought of shoes with _wheels_ on them! And now the sudden introduction to these contraptions was not a pleasant one.

"Why the fuck do I have to wear these again?" His voice sounded so innocent that the miko almost didn't notice his use of words.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome seemed to spring to life when what the hanyou said sunk in. "Watch your language!" She warned.

"Keh!" Was all he said, although in his mind he was mumbling a small 'sorry'.

"It doesn't matter…" The miko whispered back to him, she did not mean to snap like that. "Lets just go skate." And with that she turned around, skating off towards the rink.

He just stared at her back in a daze. It had nothing to do with what she said, just how she was moving away from him with so much grace.

"Inuyasha!" The playful voice snapped him out of his own thoughts. He looked over to see Kagome gliding back towards him, a smile planted on her lips. "Come on Inuyasha. What are you waiting for?" She almost giggled as she held out her hand for him.

"Umm. I don't know how to skate…"

…………………………

An hour later, and quiet a few aching butts, Inuyasha had learned to skate. Now he was skating along side Kagome and her friends, having a good time together. Of course, the fun could never last for very long.

Inuyasha's rage grew incredibly when he noticed Hojo hitting on Kagome again. While they were skating around the rink, there was no way that the hanyou could be with her at all times, so there were plenty of gaps for Hojo to slip in some time with her.

"What was that about?" Inuyasha growled to Kagome after Hojo skated off.

"What do you mean, Inuyasha?"

"That Hobo guy! What did he say to you?"

"It's nothing, Inuyasha."

"What do you mean it's nothing?! It's everything! Now what did he do to you?"

"He didn't do _anything_!" And with that she skated off, leaving a steaming hanyou to watch her speed away.

The next thing he noticed was the DJ interrupting the continuous music with an announcement. "Ok everyone. We have a request. This is 'Come' by Namie Amuro. **(it's an actual song from Inuyasha)** This goes out to 'Kagome' from 'Hojo'." Then the song filled the small building—the song '_request_' to Kagome, from Hojo!

Inuyasha didn't understand what was going on, _'Is that like a gift?'_ Before he knew it, he saw the miko gleefully wrapping her arms around Hojo with a huge smile gracing her lips.

"That is so sweet of Hojo." The hanyou glanced over to see Kagome's trio of friends skating besides him, Ayumi was holding her hand over her heart with an admiring look on her face. They were watching Hojo and Kagome.

"Keh!"

"Oh Inuyasha! You're here." Yuka blurted out, completely ignoring the hanyou's rude comment.

"What's so sweet?" He scoffed out, trying not to show that he actually cared what the answer was.

"Oh," Eri cocked her head to the side staring at him in amusement. "Hojo just dedicated a song to Kagome. Didn't you here it?"

"Keh. Of course I heard it! But what does it mean?"

"Well Hojo likes Kagome,"

"Yeah! A lot!"

"Yeah. So sometimes, when a guy likes a girl, at Skate World you can 'dedicate' a song to someone."

"But you don't have to like them; you could just be friends!" Ayumi just kept piping in, but after a scowl from Eri, she decided to remain silent.

"Anyway. So, since Hojo likes Kagome, he went to the DJ and told him what Kagome's favorite song was; then the DJ says what the song is, who it is for, and who it is from. It's kinda like a gift, I guess…" Eri's voice drifted off when she dove into her own thoughts.

"Keh! That's not even Kagome's favorite song." The girls' faces instantly sprang to life at the sound of Inuyasha challenging Hojo—the guy who has liked Kagome forever!

"What do you mean?" Yuka questioned him.

"I might not know _that_ much about music, but I do know what Kagome likes. And _that_ is not her favorite song." And it was true; Inuyasha didn't know too much about the music from these times, but over the past three years with Kagome he had learned what she liked.

"Then what is her favorite song?"

"Huh?" The hanyou was shaken from his thoughts, when he looked over to see three girls looking at him with bewildered looks. "Oh, why do you wanna know?" He shot back.

The three girls had an idea; they knew that Kagome loved Inuyasha, and that he was better for their friend than anyone else, even Hojo. So, they devised a plan: they would assist Inuyasha in asking Kagome out.

"Ok Inuyasha," Yuka whispered to him as they exited the rink to huddle in a dark corner…

…………………………

"Ok everyone." The DJ's voice interrupted the music once again. "We have another request here." A few people groaned at the unpleasant interference while others clung to hope, wishing that the dedication might be for them. "Here is 'Moments' by Ayumi Hamasaki. This goes out to 'Kagome' from 'Inuyasha'." More groans from disappointed girls, But the DJ wasn't done just yet, "oh wait! There is also a rose dedication here. This rose is to, 'Kagome'. Kagome, please come and claim your rose."

After that, the song came on, along with a certain miko rushing across the skating rink to an oversized DJ booth with the DJ standing there, waiting for the girl to hand the flower to. Inuyasha and Kagome's friends all watched her squeal with delight after receiving the rose, then they watched her mood change slightly when she read the tag.

_**To: **My Kagome_

**_I Love You_**

_**From:** Inuyasha_

**(the "I Love You" part was already printed on the tag)**

"You like it?" A voice huskily asked her from behind.

She heard a slight chuckle when she jumped at the voice behind her. "Inuyasha!" She squealed, leaping into his arms, completely forgetting about how he had startled her. "Inuyasha, I love it! And the song…I can't believe you remembered…"

"How could I forget it was your favorite." She knew it was not a question, so she didn't bother to supply hi with an answer. He wrapped his strong arms around her waist, forgetting his rough exterior; she liked it better when he was soft anyway.

He knew that he outdid that Hobo guy right away; of course, he never would have done it if it weren't for those friends of hers. They had helped him by telling him exactly what to do for Kagome. He knew that they would be watching him--watching them embrace like that—but at the moment, he didn't care, he was with Kagome, and that's all that mattered. But there was another set of eyes scowling at him, ones that he must have slipped his mind, for he did not seem to be worried about this public display of affection; but someone else felt that they needed revenge.

…………………………

**Yay! Sorry for the LONG ASS wait! I just turned in my Romeo and Juliet project! But today is my BIRTHDAY!!!!!!! Oh yeah! But I'm not sure when I can get another chapter up, cuz I am celebrating tonight, then there is a dance on Friday, then there is my party on Saturday; but we'll see! Anyway, you all should check out my new fanfic, it is called "Sorrows Keep us Human", and there is a better description of it on my profile. But I'm sorry if this chapter seemed a little sloppy or rushed, cause it kinda was. But please review on any ideas!**

**Luv Yall, MUAH!**


	10. Chapter 10

**I am soooo sorry about the lack in update! I had a really hectic week of school; but now it is winter break, and I am MOSTLY free to write and read fanfics! I also had a pretty bad writers block for this story. I knew what I wanted to happen, just not all the details. I will normally sit down, start writing a chapter, and finish it in one sitting (even if it's a few hours). Plz forgive me! **

**Hill-Billie-Race**

For the next half-an-hour, Inuyasha felt a pair of eyes boring into his back, watching his every move. It did not startle him as much when Kagome was at his side, but whenever her presence faded, he grew very agitated. Why would someone feel the need to stalk him? He couldn't help but wonder if they had stumbled upon a demon in this time; perhaps they sensed the jewel?

Soon enough, Kagome would show up by his side again, distracting his troubled thoughts to direct his attention towards her, and only her. He would forget the curious eyes scrutinizing him non-stop, turn his head towards the girl beside him, and let his mind revolve around her again until she rolled away from him, leaving his thoughts to wander after her retreating form.

Inuyasha began to helplessly search the skating rink for the inspecting eyes. Kagome had skated off again to go chat with her friends; at least she wasn't with Hojo. That observation reminded the hanyou: where was Hojo? He hadn't seen the hormonal teenager for a while now.

His thoughts were interrupted as yet another announcement came from the DJ booth after the end of another song. "Ok everyone. We are gonna take this time to have a game. We will be playing the Hill-Billie-Race!"

Some people groaned while others cheered at the sound of the game. Inuyasha wasn't entirely sure what was happening as he witnessed most of the crowd of skaters, that once occupied the skating rink, file away towards the exits of the rink onto the carpet ways leading towards the snack-bar, tables, games, front desk, and lockers. Most of the people exiting the rink were the ones that were groaning out their protest.

Before Inuyasha could decide whether or not to exit the rink along with the others, three girls latched themselves onto his arms, leaning in to whisper in his ears. **(even though they were on top of his head, 'cause he doesn't have human ears; but they knew that he would here them with his demon hearing and all) **

"You have to go and play this game!"

"Yeah, you have to beat Hojo to show Kagome that you're better than him!"

"Look! Hojo is already lining up to race! Go over there!"

Before the girls had a chance to push the hanyou towards the starting line, he whipped around to face them all. "What are you talking about?! What do you mean a race?! Why are people leaving?! Can't I just go with them?!"

The girls stopped with bewildered looks on their faces; they looked stunned, eyes staying on him, not wavering a bit. His body grew tense under their stares, and he visible stiffened. The girls turned to give questioning glances to one another.

"The Hill-Billie-Race," one of the girls continued, turning her attention back to the silver-haired hanyou, "you have to join it. Then win, get first place, and boast about it in front of Hojo. Then Kagome will see how much better you are." She finished as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"You are better than Hojo, aren't you, Inuyasha?"

"Of course I'm better than him!" He snapped, crossing his arms over his chest in his classic 'Inuyasha' pose. He was _not_ about to be insulted by a bunch of immature schoolgirls. "But how do I play?"

As if on cue, the DJ picked the microphone back up to address the skaters: "Ok everyone, this is how you play: Everyone will start here **_(points to starting line, defined by two orange cones)_** at the starting line. When I say 'go', you will all race around the rink for one lap before stopping back at the starting line. When you reach the starting line, remove one of your skates as fast as you can, then run/skate another lap with one skate on. After the second lap, stop at the starting line once more; take off your other skate and run the last lap. The first one to finish all three laps is the winner! Everyone got it?" After a few nods from the surrounding kids **(mostly boys)**, the DJ walked back to his booth.

"Did you get all that?" One of the girls was now questioning Inuyasha.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I got it."

The girls just nodded at him before they skated off out of the rink; they did not want to play the game.

…………………………

The kids who were willing to play the game were lined up at the starting line, prepared to bolt off when given the signal. Kagome and her trio of friends were lined up against a carpeted wall surrounding the rink. The wall came up a little above their waists, enough so that they were able to lean forward on their elbows against the carpeted wall. **(I know, some people think it's gross that the walls have carpet on them in Skate World. But I think it's cool! So shuddup!)**

Kagome scanned the line up of boys, and a few girls scattered in the mix, when her eyes fell upon a boy with long silver hair. "Did you guys put Inuyasha out there?" Kagome quizzed her friends as she turned to glare at them. By the looks of horror on their faces she knew that they had something to do with it. "You guys! Inuyasha just learned how to skate! How could you think that he could race? And the 'Hill-Billie-Race' no less! Do you know how hard that race is!" She pointed an accusing finger at her frightened friends before continuing on her rampage: "And look! Do you see that most of those other boys have roller blades on?! ROLLER _BLADES_!!! Inuyasha is wearing ROLLER _SKATES_!!! Do you know at how much of a disadvantage he is at?! He will never be able to get his skates off as quickly as the boys with roller blades! I can't believe you three!" The enraged miko was constantly throwing her hands up into the air, waving her arms about to create more emphasis on what she was saying.

**(Roller skates are tied up by laces, normally with four wheels; while roller blades are together using clips that you easily just clip and unclip to get them on and off, normally with three wheels placed in a vertical line)**

"Calm down Kagome!"

"Yeah, freak out why don't ya!"

"Besides, Inuyasha is really fast, faster than anyone else out there. He'll beat everyone out there, you just wait Kagome."

"Yeah, don't you have any faith in your boyfriend?"

"He is NOT my boyfriend!" Kagome hissed at her friends. Of course she had faith in him! But this was her era, not the Feudal Era with demons and monsters. This was a modern time game, something that Inuyasha was still not accustomed to.

"Oh! Sorry…I forgot that you already explained the whole 'boyfriend' thing to us already…but you do _want_ him to be your boyfriend, don't you Kagome?"

Kagome couldn't help but blush at this accusation, true non-the less, but very embarrassing.

The DJ seemed to come to her rescue when he announced the race had begun. Boys dashed from the starting line, in a rushed frenzy to be the first back at the start. Before many people could register what had just happened, boys were already plopped to the ground on their butts, struggling to remove their first skate before attempting to rise and race around the rink again, this time, with one less skate.

It was then that Kagome noticed the other person she knew that was engaged in this race; Hojo. She did not notice him before, for she had her eyes locked on her hanyou. But now she saw him clearly: sitting on the floor, easily removing one of his roller blades as if it were the simplest thing ever. Hojo had stood up, balancing on his bare foot, before staggering away from the others still removing their first skate.

The miko searched the mob of boys on the floor of the rink, searching for Inuyasha. She spotted him, his silver hair a bright give-away; he was struggling to remove his skate; he looked as though he were about to rip it to shreds. And maybe he was.

She switched her attention back to Hojo. He was already halfway around the rink on his second lap; two boys ahead of him, also wearing roller blades. She saw Inuyasha flash in front of her, quickly speeding ahead of the other boys that were currently in the lead.

The silver-haired hanyou quickly made it back to the starting line, preparing to take off his last skate, while others were still attempting to remove their first. But he did not seem cocky about his lead in the race; he still seemed to hurry like he would fall behind any second.

Kagome's eyes fell back upon the hanyou, one question that she had forgot to ask herself earlier dug at her mind. _'How did Inuyasha get his skate off so fast?'_ She had turned her attention to Hojo, causing her to miss his tactic the first time around. Now, she was not about to take her eyes off of him; she was going to find out how he did that so fast.

She watched him intently, squinting her eyes to see him better from across the rink. She watched as he brought a claw to meet the toe of his ugly brown skates. **(courtesy of Skate World, of course) **The miko wanted to lash out at him; he was shredding apart the skates! And they were not even his to shred! They belonged to Skate World. But she noticed him lightly slice his nail through the strings, binding the skate's front flaps together. He shoved the useless string fragments aside as he slipped his foot from within the skate that now had a gaping opening on the top where the tongue of the skate should have been.

He quickly dashed around the rink once more, finishing his third and final lap, ahead of everyone else. Applause was heard all around as the DJ acknowledged the winner. Inuyasha stood there, his chest puffed out, head held high, his ego being fed with every pat on the back he received from the 'good sports'.

Hojo, of course, looked defeated. But no one noticed, all attention was directed at the winner: Inuyasha. Hojo gazed up at the silver-haired champion, dumfounded. He found Kagome already clinging to Inuyasha, congratulating him on his victory. A look of disgust overcame Hojo's features. Kagome was hugging another boy!

Inuyasha felt that feeling again: someone was glaring at him. Probably just envious, he thought. So he pushed the concern aside, paying more attention to the raven-haired girl in his arms. He returned her warm hug by wrapping his strong arms around her waist. Hoisting her into the air, he spun her around in a circle, listening to her joyful giggles.

'_This is how it should be…' _He thought to himself.

…………………………

**Once again: I am soooo sorry about the late update. Like I said I had a writers block with this story. And I still kinda do. Any suggestions from my adoring readers would help. I was thinking of keeping them at Skate World for the next chapter; and 'couples skate' comes up. But whom would Kagome choose? But I dunno. I might just skip that idea. Anyway, I am having a major writers block for my other fanfic too. If anyone could read it and help me out; that would be great! I have to pack tomorrow cuz I am goin to Sun River for Christmas. We are leavin on Friday and returning on Tuesday. But I am bringing my laptop, so hopefully I will have time to write while I am there. **

**Luv you all! Suggestions please! Muah!**


	11. Chapter 11

**MERRY CHRISTMAS**

**This is my gift to all of you: my beloved readers!**

**Couples Skate: Part 1**

The race was now over, and people were skating around the rink like nothing had even happened. They had forgotten the victor of the race, but Inuyasha had no problem with that. Kagome and her friends still congratulated him constantly—and that was all he needed.

During the bustle of everyone rushing to the floor of the rink to see the winner of the race, Inuyasha had snooped out a pair of skates that were his size, carelessly lying on the glossy ground. The hanyou had pulled them onto his own feet, leaving his 'broken' skates for someone else to find.

He had gone to the snack bar with the girls to receive his free pitcher of soda—his prize for coming in first for the Hill-Billie-Race.

When they had finished off the pitcher of Cherry soda, they resumed their skating.

None of the noticed the missing presence of Hojo—they didn't really care. Of course, Hojo was watching them the entire time. No one felt the constant glare of eyes following them, except for a certain hanyou. But Inuyasha didn't tell the giddy girls around him, he did not want to dampen the mood. So he kept to himself and tried to have a good time. He was with Kagome, after all.

………………………….

Skate World could never be a quiet place, oh no! It could not just leave people to lifelessly skate around an oval rink, drowning in the blaring music emanating from the speakers above. It just had to interrupt everyone's 'fun' with pointless announcements of dull games for people to join. But this announcement was an exception; it was not a game, but a different event. This announcement informed the skaters that the normal skating was now switched; now, only _couples_ could skate. Everyone else had to exit the rink and wait for the normal skating to come back.

Of course, you didn't have to be a _real_ couple or anything to skate during the couples skate. Maybe that is what they intended, but no one really follows. It's just like adult swim at a swimming pool; it's just to give a certain party some 'alone' time—although they really weren't alone.

Kagome didn't think much of it, not until Hojo approached her. She forgot he was even here.

Her friends were busy pushing her into going to skate with Inuyasha when Hojo rested his hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump slightly. "Inuyasha-" she breathed out, but stopped dead in her tracks when she turned to meet Hojo. "Hojo? Oh, it's you. I just thought…" She was a little disappointed that it wasn't the hanyou in front of her, but she wouldn't let it show—or so she thought.

"You thought I was Inuyasha?" He all but spat at her. But upon noticing her hurt expression, he quickly switched his mood to a more cheerful one. "Kagome, I came to ask you if you would mind-"

A rude entrance was made, cutting Hojo off. "Kagome! There you are! Common', lets go." Inuyasha slipped passed Hojo, ramming into his shoulder along the way, grabbing for Kagome's hand to lead her to the skating rink filled with 'couples'.

A hand gripping his broad shoulder halted the hanyou's attempt to escort the miko to the rink. He spun his body around to meet the culprit face to face.

Hojo probably would have peed his pants from the death glare Inuyasha was giving him, had he not been so enraged from the interruption.

"What do _you _want?" Inuyasha sneered, looking up and down his body in disgust.

"I was talking to Higurashi when you interrupted us." He replied calmly, his hand still on Inuyasha's shoulder.

"And what is a _wimp_ like you gonna do about it?" The hanyou growled while brushing the hand off his shoulder as if it were a revolting bug.

Hojo's straight face did not falter; even though on the inside he was shaking like a leaf. Hojo was sure that he would soon have a fist sized imprint on his face any second now, but he could not back down, not in front of Kagome.

"Inuyasha, lets just go." Kagome tugged on the hanyou's stiff-arm in an attempt to keep him from harming Hojo.

"Keh," Inuyasha scoffed, turning away from Hojo—he gave into the miko.

A hand shot out and grabbed hold of Inuyasha's shoulder, "I'm not done talking to you." Hojo's voice was not as confident as he wanted it to sound, but at least he got Inuyasha's attention.

"Wrong move," The hanyou growled.

…………………………

**Sorry, I know it's short. But I wanted this to be out by Christmas. I will start working on the next chapter soon enough. Have a Merry Christmas!**

**Luv yall,**

**Muah!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Neh, don't nag me about the update time. I need a plot twist in this story and I can't find one. I want this to be a very long story; so I need to find a more stable plot.**

**Couples Skate: Part 2**

"Wrong move," The hanyou growled.

Silver hair slapped Hojo across the face, catching him off guard. He stumbled backwards, his balance betraying him. If it weren't for a clawed hand that gripped the collar of the boy's shirt, he would have surely fallen to the ground. The so-called 'blessing' he had just received quickly shifted to his misfortune—a very bad one, at that.

Reality slowly sunk in—a little too slowly—that this was not an act of generosity; it might be saving him from humiliation, but it would only get much worse from there.

Hojo was no sooner done with that realization, than he was proven more than right. A clenched fist collided with the right side of his face, surely leaving a bruise. He stumbled backwards once more, but a hand was still gripping the front of his baby-blue shirt, keeping him upright. Before he could even _think_ about reacting, a sharp pain exploded within his abdomen.

The death-grip on his shirt was removed, allowing him to double over in pain. He gripped his stomach in a vain attempt to cease the horrible feeling from consuming his whole body. He swore he heard someone snicker. But when he looked up, he only saw a worried Kagome trying to calm a flustered Inuyasha; and it seemed to be working.

Kagome whispered soothing words to the hanyou who had just successfully punched Hojo—twice! Even though Kagome was impressed, she was still upset that Inuyasha had gone around beating people up, even if it was Hojo. She knew that Inuyasha would not just walk away from Hojo, especially now that he was down. That was why she was trying to calm him down: she did not want him to make anymore of a scene than he already had.

When Inuyasha visibly relaxed a bit, Kagome just wanted to lead him away from everyone to a dark corner to let him cool off some more. Ok, _maybe_ she had some ulterior motives—taking Inuyasha to a dark corner all alone and stuff—just _maybe_. But that was not the issue here; she had to focus on keeping Inuyasha's quick temper at bay, at least until Hojo was out of sight.

The Couples Skate was still going, although no members of the group paid attention to it. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the fuming hanyou, except for Hojo, that is. Hojo was blinking stupidly at his hand held in front of his bruised face. Blood was evident on his fingertips—his blood.

He blinked again before resting his fingers gingerly on his bleeding lip. His gaze caught Inuyasha's, staring at each other for a moment until the hanyou broke eye contact to look down at the miko clinging to his arm.

Words were muttered between the two, although Hojo could not hear what they were saying. Inuyasha began to turn to walk away with Kagome, but Hojo wouldn't have it.

"Kagome doesn't want filth like _you_." The whispered words were coated with as much venom as Hojo could muster. At least he got Inuyasha's attention.

"_What_ did you say to me?" His back was still facing Hojo, but it didn't matter, anyone could tell that Inuyasha was clearly pissed. Not to mention that he already heard what Hojo said; he was just _daring_ him to say it again.

Hojo couldn't speak, but he didn't need to. He knew he was in for it, so he didn't see the point in letting his opponent hear the fear in his voice; so he kept his mouth shut.

The silence enraged Inuyasha even more; he couldn't handle it.

The raging hanyou spun on his heel to face Hojo. He was about to charge his opponent when he discovered a firm grip on his upper arm. His towering gaze fell upon Kagome latched to his arm with surprising force, her eyes pleading to him.

A flash of emotion swept over Inuyasha's face as his once fierce eyes dulled into defeat. He shrugged his tense shoulders as they relaxed by his sides. His silver bangs covered his golden eyes as his head hung low.

She always had this kind of effect on him; why couldn't she just let him beat someone up for once? She was really taking a toll on his pride… But he let it go anyway. He shrugged off her hand and turned away from the group. He stalked away with his head still down, not knowing himself where he was going.

Kagome's hopeful face switched to a more worried version. She cast a worried glance at her friends before chasing after him. Hojo was still on the floor with a smug smirk on his face and her friends were just staring after her in confusion, but she didn't care, she just needed to find Inuyasha.

…………………………

"Inuyasha…" She found him sulking in a dark corner of the building lounging on a bench. She stopped her advancement when he did not look up at her. She knew he had heard her, but he was ignoring her: that was never a good sign. "Inuyasha…" she tried again. No response.

She took a cautious step forward, not too sure if she should interrupt him.

"Kagome," his voice stopped her, but he didn't turn to her. His voice was in a low whisper; was that disappointment she heard in his voice? "Kagome," he started again, but did not finish.

An awkward silence spread between them before he had the courage to speak up again: "Why do you keep doing this to me?" He truly sounded confused, if not like he was begging her. He turned to look her in the eye this time, "Why do you keep hurting me like this?"

Hurting him? What in the hell is he talking about? "Hurting you? I'm not _hurting_ you. I'm keeping you from hurting other people!"

"You are hurting me!" He popped up from his seat, appearing before her. "Goddammit, Kagome! He likes you! Can't you see that? He. Likes. YOU! Then he tries to take you away from me! I _try_ to be nice and just _walk away_! But no! He has to _insult _me! _Me_, Kagome! And what do you do? You _protect_ him! That _scum bag_!" He was full blown screaming in her face now; he was really upset about this. Half of those things he probably didn't even want to admit out loud, but that's what happens when he gets angry.

Now Kagome felt stupid. She felt sorry, foolish, selfish, and stupid. She didn't know she was hurting him. He's a _hanyou_ for Kami's sake! He never let his emotions out like this. She didn't know whether to be relieved that he was letting her in, or terrified that this was his way of letting her know that he couldn't take it anymore and he would leave her.

She did the next best thing: she yelled right back at him. "WELL I'M SORRY! I DIDN'T KNOW I WAS HURTING YOU! YOU NEVER TELL ME ANYTHING! YOU EGOTISTICAL JERK! IF YOU HAD JUST _TOLD_ ME; THEN MAYBE I WOULDN'T HAVE KEPT _HURTING_ YOU AND YOUR _EGO_!" She had her hands balled into fists at her sides, leaning forward on her toes to be nose to nose with him.

She huffed before turning her back to him to stomp off towards her friends. She wanted him to stop her—to call out and apologize to her. She purposefully trudged off slowly to give him the chance he needed. She didn't want to leave like this; she didn't want to leave their conversation hanging like that. But her stupid pride convinced her that to show that she was stronger, he had to call out to _her_: he had to _want_ her to stay, and show it.

As she thought about this, she came to a sudden realization: Inuyasha had just as much pride, if not more, than she does. He would _never_ show a weakness such as that—he wasn't going to stop her from leaving him…

Guilt swam over her like a title wave, bringing her bloated pride down with her. She just wanted to spin back around and fly into his arms. But no, she had the gull to walk away expecting _him_ to be the one to degrade himself in front of her.

How stupid could she be?

But now she didn't have a choice. She couldn't just go running back to him after storming off like that—she couldn't let him think he could manipulate her like that. She just wanted to slap herself for walking away—she shouldn't have done that.

"Kagome,"

Her breath hitched in her throat while her whole body stiffened at the sound of his voice. Had she really missed the sound so much? She must have last heard it only two minutes ago. So why was it such a relief to hear his voice pierce the silence?

"Yes?" She replied; attempting to act nonchalant, but failing at restraining the immense relief and hope that filled her tone. She turned to face him, but did not dare meet his gaze: her eyes showed too much emotion that she would rather not reveal at the moment.

"I'll just leave you to your 'date' with that Hobo guy. You can have fun here without me. I wont interrupt any longer," he didn't sound remorseful or upset, completely monotonous.

This just seemed to infuriate Kagome more. How dare he think that _this_ was a date with Hojo! That Kagome would even _want_ to go on a date with Hojo! And where was his apology? She wanted to slap herself all over again for even _thinking_ that Inuyasha was capable of giving her a sincere apology! She just couldn't help but blow up in his face.

"How_ dare_ you! Is that what you think I want?! To go around with _Hojo_!" She surprised herself to find that she was waiting rather patiently for his answer—minus the heated glares she was throwing him.

"I don't know what you want! Hell, I don't know what _I_ want! I bet _you_ don't even know what you want! Your just so damn confusing!" He was just as harsh as she was. Funny how they kinda forgot they were in a public place and not Feudal Japan.

"_Confusing_? You think I'm the _confusing_ one?! Look at you! And of course I know what I want! And it is NOT _him_!" She jabbed an accusing finger in the general direction of where Hojo should be.

The staff was sure to be on them at any moment now. Skate World did not support any violence in their building, physical or verbal. They would surely get kicked out. And that's exactly what happened. Staff broke up their little rant and had them gather their things, return their skates, and escorted them from the building.

Fighting gets you nowhere. They even missed the Couples Skate.

…………………………

**I am soo sorry! I know this took forever! I was stuck on one spot for the longest time, not knowing how to proceed. To be honest, I got inspiration from a fight that I recently had with a guy. Hopefully he will never read this fic and find out that I'm using our 'relationship' to help me write. LOL! I'm stuck on what to put in the next chapter; I think I have strayed from Feudal Japan for too long; I think they need to return. What do you think? It might be awhile if I can't get any ideas rolling.**

**Luv Yall, **

**Muah!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Return of the Miko**

"Kikyou, Kikyou!"

"Lady Kikyou is back!"

Kagome had the sudden urge to go jump off a cliff—or at least jump back down the well.

After returning home from Skate World, Kagome and Inuyasha barely exchanged glances let alone words. Inuyasha did not want to be locked up alone with Kagome during this fragile time right after a fight; so, he dragged her back down the well to the Feudal Era. The miko made no complaints for she did not want to get into another argument; she was still trying to figure out their last one.

Their companions wisely kept their mouths shut upon the couples' return. The next day the headed out in search of more jewel shards.

They were now approaching an unfamiliar village; this being the place that the cries were resounding from (the ones about Kikyou). Upon hearing the name that the villagers were calling out, the group worriedly looked over to find Kagome's reaction. The miko flinched at the dreaded name, but would not falter in front of Inuyasha—of whom Kagome was totally oblivious to his stiffened form.

Kagome was not prepared to talk about Kikyou—the miko was dead, really dead, gone from this earth. The group had just about a month ago gotten over the awkwardness of the topic. Kikyou had died five seven months ago, by Naraku's hand. And now Naraku was dead. Revenge for her death was taken and there was no need to dwell on her departure. But this village just had to bring up that name.

Miroku and Sango exchanged worried glances, the same thought running through everyone's head: Would Inuyasha go off to look for Kikyou? It had happened before, everyone thought Kikyou was gone but when Inuyasha heard news that she might be alive, he had run off to find her. Thus leaving Kagome open to danger. He promised to never leave her again. But could he keep that promise?

Kagome tried not to falter. She held her head up high and took long, determined strides. Sending mixed messages with confidence oozing over her while her uneasy demeanor rung off her in waves. _'Could Kikyou really be here? Alive? Will Inuyasha leave us to find her?' _Questions floated through Kagome's pounding head.

Kagome lead the group into the village, the streets now filling with villagers searching for Kikyou. Miroku, Sango, and Shippo all knew to give the miko some room to cool off, so they were all walking a few feet behind her. Inuyasha was following the rest of them, golden orbs glazed over in confusion, pain, and hope… At least, that's what Kagome saw.

Instantly, anxious villagers surrounded Kagome: men, women, and children. She tried to hold in her surprise as people pointed and whispered about her, some even daring to reach out and touch her, as if they were making sure she was not an illusion.

"It really _is_ her," she heard a woman mutter within the crowd.

"I can't believe she came back…"

"Why is she here?"

"Does she even remember us?"

"She looks so…confused…"

"SHUT UP!" everyone shut their mouths and turned in shock to give their attention to the person who shouted. It took Kagome a while to find out that it was _her_ voice that screamed at these people. "Sorry," she muttered, drooping her head in shame.

"Do you not recognize us, miko?" a brave man stood out from the other silent villagers, breaking the silence by directing a question that seemed to be on everyone's mind.

"Huh?" Kagome looked from left to right, scanning the people around her for someone else dressed in miko clothing. No one. _'They couldn't be talking to me.'_ "Are you talking to me?" she questioned dumbly.

Aggressive nods from the crowd answered her. "Oh. Well, I'm sorry. But I don't recognize any of you. I don't believe I've ever even been here," she ducked her head again, hiding her eyes with her bangs.

"She forgot…" more whispering.

"Kill the witch!" a random scream erupted from the crowd. Others nodded their heads in agreement.

"I'm not a witch!" Kagome's head shot up, "I'm a _miko_!"

The riot did not cease. Men and women grabbed at her clothes, attempting to drag her somewhere. It was at this time that Miroku and Sango broke out of their initial shock, which had them momentarily paralyzed, and came to their friend's rescue. "Leave her alone!"

"Sango, Miroku!" Kagome cheered them on, thanking Kami for her friends.

But they were sorely out-numbered. "Inuyasha! A little help here!" Miroku called over his shoulder to the unmoving hanyou. Kagome was currently wedged between the backs of the houshi and taijiya, hands still reaching for her.

Every struggling villager stopped dead in their tracks as a booming voice floated over their heads, making a man's presence known. "Kikyou, you should not have returned to this place," the man seemed to be warning her, but Kikyou was yet to be seen. "You left destruction in your path and fled from this village. You are welcomed here no longer. You should not have returned," he repeated his earlier warning.

Every head was turned towards this new comer. He had long, straight black hair that was pulled into a neat ponytail at the nape of his neck (but was A LOT longer than Miroku's). He did not stand on higher ground than the rest of the crowd, but he seemed to be looming above them. He was clean cut, and groomed well—probably a Lord of some sort. He had midnight blue hakamas and a neat silver shirt (forgot what it was called…). His common brown eyes looked black from far away: like where Kagome and the gang were.

"What are you talking about?!" Inuyasha's raged voice rose from behind the group, the first time he spoke since arriving. When they looked back at him, he was in a crouched fighting position, Tessuaiga already drawn and transformed in his clawed hands. Kagome was happy to see him there to protect her, but his next words sank her heart: "Where is Kikyou?" It was a raged command; he wanted to know where his old love was. And that broke Kagome's heart all over again.

"Are you blind,_ hanyou_?" the man laughed at him. "She is right before you. It seems you have even been traveling with her," the man switched his gaze to Kagome, looking at her almost hungrily.

"What are you talking about?" he seethed, "Kikyou is not with us."

"You _are_ blind," the man stated, "she is right here. Can you not see her?" He pointed a finger at Kagome.

Relief washed over every member of the group. Kikyou was not here. She was dead. Inuyasha was about to open his big mouth again, but Kagome interrupted him.

"Hey, buster," she accused him, "if you think, that I am Kikyou, you are dead wrong! I'm not Kikyou; I'm nothing like her. She's dead!" The schoolgirl refused to look back at the hanyou in fear of his reaction to her last statement. Would he be mad that she put it so bluntly like it meant nothing that Kikyou was dead?

At first, the man looked stunned—whether it was at her unexpected outburst or her accusation of him being wrong was unknown. But next, he had an enraged look overwhelm his features. "You, miko—of all people—have NO place to deny your identity before me." His tone was cold and calm, never rising from his flaming anger. "I know well of who you are. Do not try to save yourself with false accusations."

His words were so finely put—that of royalty—that it took the group a while to realize the meaning to his statements. By that time, it was too late. The man had already called forth men to seize Kagome and fend off the rest of the group.

Somehow, Kagome had stayed trained in her own little world, not even recognizing the danger she was accepting as hands snatched her arms and began to drag her away from her protectors—her friends. When she focused on the chaos around her, a shrill scream of protest was heard. To Kagome's astonishment, it was _herself_ who had screamed; although, now a calloused hand was clamped over her mouth, effectively shutting her up. She struggled beneath the man's grip, trying in vain to escape her fate.

If this man holding her captive was only a youkai, then she could at least purify him. Or if his hand weren't clenching her jaw closed, she could have bitten him. But no, nothing was going her way that day.

She had grown quite stronger over the years of her being here, training while searching for jewel shards. And now that she could not escape the grip of a normal villager, she found herself pathetic. Unless he wasn't normal? But even if he weren't, she would just be searching for an excuse to explain her weakness. Just wishful thinking. And _that_ was truly pathetic.

It is at this thought that she realizes just _how_ much she has changed over the years. She is no longer that innocent, little, bubbly 15 year old school girl; she has matured into so much more.

Of course, this was not new news to her—she knew she had changed, she just never acknowledged it before. And when she called herself pathetic, she knew that she was not thinking on the bright side of things like she always used to do. She began to degrade herself. Maybe it was all of the time she was spending with Inuyasha; maybe even Miroku. Or perhaps she could blame all of the demons she fought. But there she goes again, searching for someone to blame! Since when did she blame people for her misfortunes? Didn't she always blame herself? Maybe that's why she was so naïve? Naïve? Since when did she insult herself like this!

But wasn't she naïve? Gullible, even. Thank Kami she changed! Otherwise, she might have been tricked to betray her loved ones; just like Inuyasha and Kikyo…

Did she just call Kikyo gullible?

Kami! What is happening to the sweet, innocent Kagome we used to love and adore?

What happened? She grew. She matured. She was lead to feel the most cherished and loathed emotions. She loved.

But you can't pin this on love, can you? Love can only bring you happiness, right? Wrong. Kagome lived through the sorrows of love. But she never dwelled on the down side of love. That is, until now.

She worked _so_ hard to hold on to her love for one man—one hanyou. She fought to win his heart without feeling one ounce of hatred towards her 'competition'. Yes, she felt jealousy—one of the more 'loathed' emotions she was forced to deal with—but she did not _hate_ Kikyo. She couldn't bring herself to that level.

But now, Kagome was almost positive that if she were faced with the situation again—the famous love triangle between herself, Inuyasha, and Kikyo—she would most likely learn to _loathe_ the older miko. It would have to do with her 'change of heart' as she liked to call it. If she were still her old, 15-year-old self, she knew she could not carry the weight that hatred condemned upon its victims. But now, she would most likely willingly accept the burden—without a reason, no less.

These wretched thoughts could kill her. That is, if she weren't already dead. But no! She can't think like this! Not at a time like this.

She was being kidnapped, for Kami's sake! Someone save her!

Wasn't she the only one Inuyasha had to protect now that Kikyo was gone? Wasn't she his only responsibility?

So where was he when she needed him most?

…………………………

**Ello! It's almost been a whole month! Sumimasen! I know my writing style has drifted from normal, so this story might be altered slightly, sorry if its confusing or u don't like it! Truthfully, this story bores me now, I feel more like it is a chore for me to write this particular one. But I will not give up! I juts don't see a plot or anything to it. But I will try my hardest not to give up on ANY of my stories; and since this was my first, I will try even harder to not give up! If u have any ideas for the next chapter, I will love you forever!**

**Oh, and I would like to thank those of u who gave me the idea for this chappie, about her being kidnapped and what not. I would go and check ur screen names to thank you properly, but the site is busy or something. **

**And hopefully I can reach 100 reviews after this chapter!**

**Luv yall,**

**Muah!**


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